Secrets
by VirgilVirgilVirgil
Summary: A young Hux meets a tech controller who could be a great ally to the Order, but has to overcome the objections of his superiors. Thrawn is forced to confront a messy, emotional past he had to abandon years ago. And Kylo Ren meets someone who may have as many daddy problems as he does. M/F & M/M
1. Chapter 1

Hux wasn't entirely sure why he was marching through a deserted enemy ship. Evidently, his troopers couldn't handle getting someone to open a door on their own. He'd always had the utmost faith in his men… he'd seen to it that they were expertly trained. But this… this was a little ridiculous.

He took the route the troopers had indicated in their communication with him, locating the proper room aboard the foreign ship. It was vital for his career that this mission went off smoothly. And right now nothing was going smoothly.

He found the room and strode in, his shoulders pinched back. "What seems to be the issue here?"

Two troopers were in the room, with a grotesquely messy desk littered with trinkets and papers behind them. The desk held three large screens that blocked his view, but he could just barely see there was someone sitting on the other side.

"Sir?"

Hux stopped. He didn't like that tone. It wasn't a "Sir" like he was used to getting upon entering a room. It was a question. Like they weren't expecting him.

"Yes? You called?"

The troopers looked at each other, then back at Hux. "No sir, I'm afraid we didn't."

"Well it must have been one of the others then. I was told you have a captive who's unwilling to assist…"

"We do have a captive, sir, but we haven't seen anyone else in some time. Nobody else knows."

Hux frowned. "Who do you have back there?" He went to the desk and peered over the blueish glow of the screens. It was a young woman, very slight with pale skin and frizzy black hair hanging over her face. His men had her arms bound behind her, so she couldn't touch the computer before her.

She gave him a toothy grin through the hair. "Well hello. You must be the one in charge."

The door behind him slammed shut. It was the only exit.

Hux realized, with a sinking feeling, that he had been _terribly_ duped. He bit his lip to keep from cursing. "My troopers didn't call me, did they?"

She smiled triumphantly.

He huffed and looked at the two troopers, "How long have you had her bound? Clearly she's some sort of tech controller, she has access to the ship's door control systems."

The troopers slowly realized the situation. Or at least, they knew enough to realize they were all locked in this room against their will. One managed to gather himself enough to speak, "Sir, we bound her arms as soon as we found her. She can't have touched a thing…"

Hux glowered down at the woman, who was smiling in the most obnoxiously nonchalant manner. "You may think you're terribly clever, but you _will_ regret this action. The First Order will send people to retrieve us shortly, and you will suffer the punishment of kidnapping an officer…"

"Hm… The First Order? I think I've heard of your organization."

The most irritating thing, aside from her constant grinning, was her complete refusal to look at him. She was gazing downward, so much so that her lids covered her eyes from this angle. He crouched down to eyelevel. He wanted her to look at him - to see his face. "You may have. We are not known for being incredibly merciful. If you place _any_ value on your life, you will let us out of here right now."

Her eyes were large and dark, still downcast, obscured partially by her frizzy hair and partially by her long eyelashes. "Mmm… That is a good tactic, but there is not much you could do to scare me."

In the silence, he heard a faint, technological whur.

He grabbed her chin and pulled it upward, standing straight again and brushing the hair from her face. He wasn't sure how he hadn't suspected it earlier – she looked up at him with pure black orbs where her eyes should be. She was a little peculiar looking – her eye sockets almost appeared to be empty, rimmed finely with black and red, like she'd been crying or, more likely, like they were irritated by the poor quality of the ocular implants.

He'd heard of this before. In these parts high powered smugglers - like the one they were after - often took their tech-savvy slaves and replaced their eyes with bionic implants. For a moment, he almost felt bad for her. Nobody would choose such a thing willingly. But at the same time, he really didn't feel at all bad for her. She was clearly working to disrupt his mission.

He heard the whirring again and dropped her chin, turning to his men. "Her eyes are bionic. You haven't just found a tech controller, you've found _the_ tech controller for this entire ship." He glanced to her. She was still smiling.

"Oh. The officer's a quick one, isn't he?"

He glared at her, "You're clearly a slave. They have you chained to your chair and your implants are cheap – they look infected. And I can hear them work. Help us and we'll free you from their control."

She snorted, "Oh. What a nice thought."

This was really something he excelled at – negotiation. He crossed his arms behind his back, "What's your name?"

"What use would that be to you?"

"It might be nice if I had something to address you by."

Her lids blinked over the eerie black orbs a few times. "Oni."

"Oni. You are a slave, correct?"

"If that is what you want to call it."

"Well you clearly aren't here by choice if they have you chained down."

"Well, yes then I suppose that is the correct word."

"The rims of your eyes are red, they must be infected."

She shifted a little when he said this, some hair falling in front of her eyes again. She was uncomfortable with the ocular implants. He wondered how long she'd had them. "We can offer help, if you cooperate."

"They are not infected." She snipped defensively.

"Do you enjoy being employed by the people that did this to you?"

"Did I say my employers are the ones that did this to me?"

"Listen, tell me what you want and we'll see what we can work out."

She blinked again, her head shifting oddly. "They didn't do this to me. My last owners did it to me. These ones paid good money to get me with these eyes." She frowned, "At least I think it was good money. I hope it was." She shrugged, "I mean if you're going to be sold you should at least hope to go for a high price, right?"

He opened his mouth to snap a reply, to bring her back to the real issue here, when she cut him off.

"What is your name?"

"Commander Hux."

"Ah, I know a thing or two about military forces. Your first name is _not_ Commander."

"My first name is irrelevant at the moment…" In all honesty, he hated his first name and avoided giving it out at all costs.

"Is it? Fine then. So tell me, _Commander_ , how many of your men are on this ship?"

He frowned at her.

"I count 20, plus your pilot."

It took him a moment to realize: "Your eyes are connected to the ship's cameras?"

She gave a short nod.

"How can you see our pilot?" There was no way for her to have accessed their ship's cameras…

"That's none of your business. Tell me about this… this Order of yours."

"Why should I give you any information about us when you won't give us any about our situation?"

Her eyes whirred. "That's fair. Your mission is a dud."

Hux frowned. He was already coming to that conclusion on his own, but he really didn't appreciate her confirming his suspicions.

She shook her head quickly, her frizzy hair bouncing, "By that, I mean the man I suspect you are looking for is not on this ship."

"Who do you suspect we're looking for?"

"That's not how this is working, Commander. Answer my question."

"We are an organization for the enforcement of order throughout the Unknown Regions…"

"With a very aptly chosen name."

He glared at her as her eyes whirred once more. He wondered what she was using them for. Maybe she was having issues focusing on him. "Will your men let my hands free?"

"No."

She tilted her head. "I trapped you here without the use of my hands. What are you afraid I will do with them? I can't leave this chair."

This was a good point.

"It's also a bit uncomfortable." She squinted and leaned toward him, "Plus, how do you expect me to trust you enough to let you go if you do not trust me enough to let me use my hands?"

He nodded to one of the troopers, "Let her hands loose."

She smiled widely as the man untied her, bringing her hands in front of her and rubbing her wrists, stretching her shoulders. "Thank you."

He hadn't noticed with her hands behind her, but her wrists had been cuffed by her owner, with wide, metal cuffs. The skin underneath was red and sore looking, not from his men's binding but from the wide cuffs her owner likely forced her to wear for a very long time.

"Who do you think we're after?"

She frowned. "I assume the man who owns me. Zed Noonga."

This was correct. He wasn't sure if he should let her know that though. "And why would we be after this individual?"

"Now that," She leaned forward on the desk, resting her chin in her hand and absentmindedly moving the paper figurines around her desk with the other, "I would know nothing of. But guessing by his line of work, I'd say he probably took something that belonged to you. It's my turn for a question."

Hux didn't appreciate the game at the moment – she didn't seem to realize that she had a very short amount of time before their backup appeared and she would be carted off to the First Order prisons, at which point she'd likely never be seen again. "Very well. I hope you realize you are running out of time to save yourself…"

"It has been a very long time since I heard an accent like yours. Are you an old Imperial?"

"No." Such an odd question. "No, I was quite young when the Empire fell, though my father was a member." He wasn't entirely sure why he threw that last part in. It was none of her business who his father was.

"Oh? You're young?" Her eyes whirred again.

He looked at her. Could she not tell? It was blatantly, painfully obvious. He'd had it pointed out to him numerous times by both superiors and subordinates. To make matters worse, he seemed to have a somewhat… youthful looking face. Out of uniform, he'd been mistaken for an academy student more than once.

It slowly occurred to him that the implants must have been very low-grade; they weren't even capable of capturing images. "You can't see, can you?"

"Oh, yes I can see." She tapped her temple, "Just not like you can. It's a thermographic feedback."

"Whoever did that to you must be incredibly cheap. It doesn't cost that much more to add regular vision capabilities."

He caught exactly what he'd been looking for: her grin faltered a little. "Yes, well, that wasn't an intended use for them. If nothing else, it was efficient."

"Let us out of here and we can get you something upgraded. You'd like to be able to see again, wouldn't you?"

She simply ignored his question. "I'm curious to know more about your organization, Commander. You said your father was an Imperial? Is that what this organization you belong to is? Old Imperials cobbling together something akin to the Empire?"

"We're quite different from the Empire. While we take a great many queues from their successes, our organization is built slightly more… efficiently, I believe. But yes, we do have a great deal of leaders that survived the fall of the Empire."

Suddenly, there was banging on the door behind them. He could hear shouting – it was his men. The others aboard had finally located him. "Sir! Sir, stand back from the door! We're going to blast through!"

He looked back at the woman. "This is your last chance, Oni. Consider your next move carefully."

She tapped the desk with her fingers, gazing at him with the shiny black, dreamy orbs, "If I were to open that door, what would you do?" She paused, tapping the desk again, echoing him, "Consider _your_ answer carefully, Commander."

There was a brief silence, during which she tapped the desk in the most infuriating manner. He looked at her hand and saw she'd rearranged all the paper figurines – four little reptilian figures were grouped close to her on a small square pad. Just off the pad are 15 other figures. And surrounding them, quite deliberately placed, were maybe 50 others.

He looked up at her. They were being listened to. And they were surrounded. He couldn't say anything.

"You can trust that I will make the best decision possible to protect my troopers."

The door flew open behind them and he turned quickly, shouting to his troopers to hurry in. They were caught off guard and hesitated for just a moment, until the blaster shots began to rain down on them. Those that could rushed inside, dragging the few that were injured by the shots into the room.

Just as quickly as the door opened, it slammed shut again.

He counted: They'd all made it into the room. Four were injured in the brief gunfire, one quite badly with a shot to the ribs. The team medic was assisting him.

There was a pounding at the door. The people firing upon them were trying to break their way in.

"I have this. Don't worry." She said in a nearly hypnotic, calm tone. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back. She looked almost peaceful.

It was mildly irritating, considering the door was starting to cave inward.

"If you have a plan, you'd best execute it soon…"

"Tell your men to take cover."

He looked back to them, "You heard her. Do it. _Now_."

They scrambled to take cover where they could – there wasn't much to work with in the room. They tipped a table and crammed several there, and a few fit in various little crevices in the walls. The rest gathered behind her desk. He crouched next to her chair.

"What are you planning? You should be down here with us…" Just as he finished, there was another loud noise outside the door, this one deafening. He grabbed her just in time, pulling her onto the floor as the door flew off its hinges and embedded itself into the wall behind them.

His ears were left ringing as he barked orders at his men to go check for any survivors. His men all had helmets with noise-control protections. No doubt he'd have to visit a medic to fix his ears.

She was squirming on the floor next to him, tangled awkwardly with the chair and her chains. One of his men was in his face, saying something. At least, Hux assumed he was saying something. He couldn't hear anything over the ringing. He told the man he was fine - take care of the girl. He was fairly certain he shouted his response.

A few troopers worked to cut her restraints – it was the best they could do for now. The cuffs needed to be cut off with a more specialized instrument to avoid hurting her. The medic, a close friend of his by the name of Sebbie Arim, came to his side, dripping some sort of bacta-based healing agent in his ears. Moments later, his hearing returned to normal.

She was sitting on the floor next to him, her legs splayed out before her in a V, black eyes blinking blankly. She made odd little noises, poking at her ears.

Sebbie used some of the same solution on her, though he had to work at it a bit – with her lack of vision and hearing, she was leery of having anyone touch her. He finally managed to get some into her ear; as soon as the healing effect took hold she started to calm down.

"Oh. That's quite nice. I was worried I'd have lost my hearing as well."

Hux stood and surveyed the room. Aside from the door imbedded in the wall, most everything was charred or melted, and the entry way was no longer door-shaped but rather just hole-shaped. Whatever explosion she had caused, it was powerful.

"Has anyone checked for our ship?" He asked the first in command of the troopers.

"Your ship is fine." She pushed herself upright uneasily, leaning against the remains of the desk. "It parted from this ship just before your men were surrounded. I saw to it."

He looked at the empty-eyed woman for a moment. "How?"

She blinked. "The same way I got you here."

"That was… a false message?"

She tilted her head, "Had you not figured that out yet?"

He looked at her bazaar, smiling face for a moment then turned to the first in command. "Bring her aboard our ship for further questioning."

"Yes, sir. If I may ask… under what context?"

It was an excellent question. On one hand, she deceived an officer into an incredibly dangerous situation and easily could have gotten him killed. On the other, she had saved all their lives.

He looked at her. She smiled.

He shook his head, not entirely sure he was giving the right answer. "As an ally. Captain Arim, take her to the med bay to look over any injuries right away."

"Yes, sir."

He didn't even want to think about the mountain of reports he'd have to file for this incident.


	2. Chapter 2

The ship took off and he reported back to his base with a succinct synopsis of the events:

 _Objective failed, target not aboard the ship. Further information has been acquired, time is needed to review. Troopers were attacked, five injured, no deaths. One captive aboard, female, human, early 20's. Captive is cooperative, in need of questioning._

He would file a much, much more detailed report upon their return, but questioning the woman was priority. He was still unsure of her – she seemed to be an ally, but the extent of her trustworthiness was questionable.

Further, her… _abilities_ called for deep investigation. He had a difficult time believing she would be able to do everything she did without raising a finger.

He found her sitting on the edge of a medical cot, with Sebbie inspecting her eyes using some sort of tool. There was only one other cot in the small ship's med bay, which was occupied by the trooper who had been most severely injured. He was sedated, and according to Sebbie would make a full recovery.

Hux nodded to the woman, "What can you tell me about her eyes, Commander Arim?"

"Well… If I can be blunt, sir, bionics are not my specialty. She'll need to be examined further when we reach the base. There will be people there with the proper knowledge to help her."

"What about the redness? Does she have an infection?"

"You do both know I'm not deaf, right?"

Hux ignored the comment.

Sebbie laughed, "Very sorry, I should include you on this conversation. The redness isn't from an infection. My guess is it's a sort of skin irritation. From what I can tell, the implants aren't particularly high quality." He paused. "No offense."

"None taken. Slavers do tend to be quite cheap."

"Do they bother you? Any sort of itchiness, pain, irritation, anything like that?"

"Mm… they do feel odd from time to time. I can't really explain it. Maybe they're not quite the right size for my head?"

"That is possible." He went to a stack of narrow drawers and started digging through them, "I believe I have some drops that will help, at least until we return to the base. I think a cool compress might help as well." He pulled a few items from the drawer and returned to her side, pressing a small bottle of drops into her hand. "Here, those are the drops, use them as often as you feel like you need them. They should have a numbing effect, and help with any dryness." He paused. "Are you going to be able to do them yourself? Or do you need me to help?"

She twisted the bottle in her fingers, wrinkling her nose, "I don't know, it may be difficult for me to locate my eyes if I can't see them."

Sebbie snorted, covering as much of his laugh as he could. "Point taken." He set a few plastic-wrapped cooling pads on her lap. "Take the drops, and then put one of these over your eyes for awhile. Got it?"

She nodded, "Ay, sir."

He shook his head, still trying to cover his laugh. "Good." He looked at Hux, "You need to speak with her privately, I assume?"

"Yes, I do."

"I'm afraid he can't leave," He jerked a thumb to the unconscious one. "So you will need to speak with her elsewhere."

"We can speak in my office."

The medic nodded, then looked back at her. "One last thing. Your wrists and ankles."

"Oh?" She rubbed at them gingerly. The cuffs were still there, but the skin underneath was a raw, red color.

"I'm going to see if we can't find something on board to remove the cuffs. Until then, there's not much I can do for the skin beneath. I imagine we can find something that will work to remove them."

She smiled, "I would appreciate that. Thank you."

Sebbie nodded to him and disappeared, off to see what he could find for the bindings.

"My office is just down the hallway. It's a short walk." He didn't particularly want to be seen guiding her down the hallway, but he supposed he has no other option at the moment. "How detailed is your vision?"

"Mm… not good compared to yours, I suppose. I see vague heat signatures, but no details." She stood, "I memorized the layout of the room as we were coming in. As long as no furniture has moved, I will be fine."

"Right… well let's be on our way then."

He was notably impressed with her confidence and with her memory – she did know exactly how to get from the bed to the door. She paused at the exit. "Left or right?"

"Left."

She turned and walked next to him, her fingers trailing on the wall to keep herself oriented.

"It's the second door," He mentioned it, not wanting her to turn into the first - a storage closet.

"Ah. Thank you."

She paused again when she reached the second door. "I'm afraid you'll have to help me a little from here."

He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her in, closing the door quickly behind them. She took the guest seat and he took his usual seat, behind the desk.

Her eyes whirred again.

"So… Oni. Explain to me, from your point of view, what exactly happened back there on that ship."

"Well, to be blunt, I used you and your crew to escape. But to be fair, most of your men would have died in the ambush without my help." She squinted. "I think it was a fair exchange."

"Elaborate, please."

"Well… I was the tech controller of the ship. It's really a rather awful setup, I think, having someone in control of your security systems and not treating them well. They're not very kind to any of us."

"How long have you been a controller for them?"

"Far too long. I spent many years thinking of escape methods, and formulated this plan to blow them all to hell. I knew I could pull it off, but the issue arose that I'd have no way off the ship if my plan succeeded. Actually, I'd have no way out of that chair."

"So you bided your time waiting for someone to appear that could help you?"

She fell silent, blinking a few times. "Honestly, I wish I could say I was that hopeful. The chance of the ship ever being boarded by someone who might be willing to offer me help was so incredibly small. I pushed the idea to the back of my mind and tried to come up with other plans." She shrugged, "I wish I could say it was genus planning, but I feel like I mostly was very lucky."

"I don't think those two things are necessarily mutually exclusive."

A sort of cocky smirk twitched across her lips, "It was a pretty good idea."

"It was. I still can't figure out how you managed it." A little flattery never hurt anyone. He needed her to be as open with him as possible.

"When I found your troops boarding the ship, I knew I needed to… tailor my plan a little. I hadn't ever expected the ship to be boarded by a military force. But I also knew that I had something working in my favor – you'd never just trust me, but if I were to save you and your men from the pending ambush… well that might be enough to convince you that you should help me a little. So I put a message for you through a vocal distorting program and sent it to your ship…"

"I… I'm sorry, i understand your eyes have computing abilities, but do they have recording devices in them as well?"

She laughed –he wasn't sure what was funny. It may have sounded a little bazaar, but it wouldn't be impossible to engineer.

"No. The message you received was entirely synthetic. I guessed that you didn't know your troopers well enough to be able to recognize a voice that didn't belong to one of them."

He frowned at the comment.

She waved a hand, "I do not mean that as an insult."

It was insulting. And correct. "Continue."

"Right. Well, I needed you in the room, because I needed your vocals to send a message to all your troops."

"Why didn't you just tell me upfront? It seems it would have been much easier…"

"Would you have trusted me?" She tilted her head to the side. "I do not assume anyone is stupid before I know them. It would have taken me so much time to convince you that all your men would have been killed. Just look how long this conversation is taking."

He considered the situation. She was right.

"So," she continued without his permission, "The room we were in, it does have a recording device. They keep it on to monitor me at all times. I took the data from your vocal recordings and manipulated it to send a message to your men."

"That would be incredibly difficult, not to mention time consuming. You're really telling me that you managed that all in less than 15 minutes? And while we were having a conversation?"

"Well, I was short with you, wasn't I?"

"You were, but that would still be difficult."

She, for the first time, frowned at him. "I gave you the respect of not assuming you were stupid. It might be polite of you to extend the same courtesy."

"I'm not questioning your intelligence."

"Just my competence."

He was quite happy she couldn't see his face. He didn't know how he would manage through this entire conversation.

She sat with her arms crossed, empty eyes staring holes through him.

"I did not mean to offend you by questioning your abilities. It's simply that what you're saying you did… it would take a good slicer at least an hour to do it well enough to pass. And you're saying you did it in 15 minutes."

She didn't reply. He assumed this was her way of throwing a fit. He couldn't stand this kind of incompetent behavior, even in the face of being insulted, or whatever it is she thought he'd done wrong.

One corner of her frown turned upward to an asymmetrical smirk. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on his desk. "Armitage."

Again, he was quite happy she couldn't see his face. "How do you know my first name?"

"That's really an interesting name. I don't know that I've ever heard it before. It has a very… regal tone to it." Her smirk grew increasingly condescending.

"You're in my personnel file?"

She beamed, "Yes. Let's see… oh. You're 25? _Really_? Is that a typo?"

He felt like he shouldn't answer, but he did. "No. It's not."

"You're 25 and you're a Commander? Is this a military of babies?"

The fact that she appeared to find great humor in her own off-color comments was almost as insulting as the comments themselves. "No. I'm the youngest of my peers, by several years."

"Ah… yes, I see you received quite good marks at academy… Except that linguistics class." She pouted at him, "Did your professor not like you?"

In truth, he'd always been awful with languages. They were maddeningly difficult for him to pick up on, and he didn't quite see the point of wasting his brain power on them anyway. Translation programs existed for a very good reason.

She laughed when he didn't reply. "Well you must be very smart. Let's see… what else is in here?"

He considered stopping her, then thought better of it. Officers were not allowed access to their own profiles. It couldn't hurt for him to take advantage of the situation a little.

"Hm… I could rifle through your entire medical history. That does sound terribly boring though, and I'd probably find something I don't want to know. Ah! Your parents! Brendol… he's in your organization as well?"

"He is. I think this is quite enough, you've proven your point." He changed his mind quickly. The last thing he wanted some stranger rifling through was his parentage.

"Have I? Or would you like me to do more tricks?"

"Yes, you have made your point. Let's return to what happened aboard the ship. So you manipulated my vocals and got my men to join us. What about the explosion?"

"Ah, well the oxygen tanks on the ship were, for obvious reasons, not controlled by me. However, I did control the door to them. That part was really the simplest. I just had to override the controls of a droid and get it to light a match a little too close and… boom. The explosion was a little bigger than I was expecting, admittedly."

He scratched his nose, considering the details of her story. "You seem educated."

"Thank you. I'm really mostly self-taught. I suppose I always had a knack for tech-related things, ever since I was quite young. They recognized that, after they took me from my family. That's why they gave me the eyes."

"How old were you when you were taken?"

"Five."

"Where are you from?"

"A little moon called Nivo. Have you heard of it?"

"I'm afraid I haven't." He noted the name for his report.

"It's a lovely little moon. Very cold and snowy with lots of mountains. I do miss it. It has been many years since I've been off any ship."

He nodded, "I believe I may be able to help you return to your home planet, if that's what you'd like."

"Oh? Really? Thank you… But I don't think that is the right thing for me to do."

"Why is that?"

She looked uncomfortable, "I… I would rather not speak of the matter. It is quite personal."

He nodded slowly, "Alright… where would you like to go, then?"

She chewed on her lower lip. "I… I do not know. I never really thought I would make it off that ship, so I never gave further plans much thought."

It did strike him as a little sad. It would be a terribly confusing situation, caught between being overjoyed with her newfound freedom and not knowing what the next step was. He stood from his desk, "I think that answers all the questions I have at the moment. Take some time to consider your options. I will do what I can to help you get wherever you want to go. You saved our lives; I owe you that much."

She smiled, "Thank you. You and your crew are… well you're terribly kind."

He tried to remember if anyone had ever used that word to describe him before. "You should return to the med bay. Arim may have found a way to get your bindings off."

Her smile widened, "Oh, yes!" She stood and hesitated for just a moment before making her way to the door.

He went with her to make sure she didn't turn into the wrong room. Sebbie was waiting with another trooper and some sort of cutting tool. He smiled at them, "You're in luck. I think we can get those bindings off."

"Really?" She paused, seeming to vibrate with excitement.

Sebbie grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a table, telling her to sit. "You're going to have to hold very still," he warned. "I might cut you if you move."

She put her right arm on the table, and he got to work. The cuff was just loose enough he was able to slip a protective layer between it and her skin. The pen-like tool got incredibly hot, so much that the tip glowed white, and he very carefully drug it over the clasp of the cuff, slicing slightly deeper with each run. It took several minutes, but the cuff finally fell loose.

As soon as he permitted her, she jerked her arm away with a huge grin, moving her wrist freely and massaging the severely red skin.

Sebbie laughed at her, "If that feels good you should let me do the other one."

She gladly offered her other wrist, and in a few more moments it was freed as well. She rolled her wrists and massaged the reddened skin while the medic worked on her ankles.

When they were both freed, she threw her arms around Sebbie, "Thank you… Thank you so much…"

He smiled, then glanced half nervously to Hux. Such displays were unacceptable in their professional environment. Hux looked away quickly, wondering why he was still standing there watching.

Sebbie patted her on the head and pulled away, "My job tends to get a little bleak at times. It's nice to be able to do something like this. Let me see your wrist."

She offered it to him and he examined the red flesh. "Were you chained like that all day? Every day?"

"Well, I had the cuffs on, yes. But they did let me out of the chair… I was only kept there for 6 hours or so before someone would come let me move around for a bit."

The medic's frown mimicked Hux's.

"I suppose that's something at least… I want to make sure you don't have any joint damage from being held in one position for too long. You said they never took the cuffs off you?"

"Ah… no. I even bathed with them."

"When did they put them on you?"

"Mmm…" She thought for a moment. "They were actually put on by the man who kept me before. I… I can't remember the last time I didn't have them on. Five years ago? Maybe six?"

Sebastian rubbed his face, looking slightly disturbed by the situation. "Okay. So… I don't know how much we can do for the redness."

"Oh? Is it scarred? The skin does feel very tender."

"Yes. The scarring is deep, it will be incredibly difficult to heal entirely. We'll do what we can, but just know… you'll probably always have some scarring there."

"You've forgotten, I can't see it." She smiled at him, "I'm not worried."

He chuckled a little and put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get you through a shower and I'll finish up the rest of your exam. I'll see what I can do about your wrists and ankles."

"Oi… a shower sounds fantastic. Do you have hot water?"

A smile twitched on his lips and he looked at Hux again. "I think we have just enough to share some with you."

She made a small, joyful noise.

Sebbie looked at him, "Sir, can I speak with you privately for a moment?"

Hux gave a short nod and the medic followed him out into the hallway.

Hehesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry, this may be completely out of line for me to ask, sir, but… your quarters have the only private bathing facility on the ship." He shrugged, "I'm sorry if it's out of line, but she evidently hasn't even had a warm bath in some time."

For as much as he liked Sebbie, this was really his biggest flaw. He was unabashedly kindhearted. It was probably what made him so effective at his job – his patients really felt he cared about them. Under other circumstances, Hux would have flat out refused. But she did just save his life.

He shook his head quickly, "Yes. Yes, of course. Just… make sure to send the cleaning droid through there afterward."

When the ship suddenly jolted, Hux was momentarily unsure what was happening. His men seemed equally confused, checking various reports on the ship's status. One finally looked at him, half confused, half terrified looking. "Sir… someone is boarding our ship."

"What? That doesn't even make sense…"

"It appears to be a stealth ship... we can expect to be boarded any minute."

"It's them…" Hux almost didn't recognize the girl when she strode into the room, her blank eyes were huge. It'd been several hours since he last saw her, but clearly the shower did her well. Her previously frizzy hair had a fresh bounce to it and her skin seemed almost luminescent. For some reason she kind of reminded him of a cloud. "It's Noonga. You need to… You need…" She seemed to almost buzz with panic.

"How do you know it's him?" Hux snapped at her, wishing she'd stop panicking. Panicking wouldn't serve any of them well. It was too hard to focus with her buzzing.

"I can pick up the communications going out from the ship that just attached… Ah… no. No… they have you surrounded…"

"That's impossible; we would have picked up their presence." He nodded to one of the co-pilots, who confirmed there was nothing on their radar.

"They have a cloaking program."

"There's not a cloaking program available that could…"

"Yes, yes there is." She waved a hand dismissively, "Trust me, I made it. Your radar is wrong. Uh… Oh no. Uh… Three ships. There are three of them, positioned to the sides and rear."

"You made… what? You're not making sense. We'd pick up on something…"

"No." She waved again, more aggressively this time, "You're not listening. Your radar is wrong. The ships aren't really cloaked; your radar isn't functioning correctly."

"You built a virus for them? How the hell did it infect _my ship_?"

"I don't know… Oh…" She sounded terribly distressed. "Hide. Hide. You all need to hide."

"I'm not even sure I can believe you…"

"Please trust me… please. They will not show you mercy, they will slaughter every last one of you for taking me. Get all your men into rooms and seal off the doors. They want me. If I make it too difficult for them to reach you, you might have a shot…"

Hux frowned, "You think we're going to just hide and hope they don't blow us all to hell?"

She made a pathetic humming noise, closing her eyes and digging her fingers into the bushy hair around her temples. "No. No… If you can tell where they are, can you take them out?"

"Well, yes. But we're not going to hide while…" Hux trailed off when he noticed one of the screens on the control panel going haywire.

"I can fix it… I can fix it… The virus trashes your detection systems but I think I can undo it."

The screen flashed wildly.

She was suddenly making her way out the door to the hallway. He followed after her quickly, grabbing her. "You need to tell me your plan. _Now_."

"Eeeeh… no time. Seal the door. I think… I think I can fix it, I… need time."

"How long do you need?"

"Don't know. It's bad."

He frowned. "If they take you before you can fix it?"

"Same plan."

He blinked. She'd essentially just told him to kill her if she couldn't fix it in time. "You're certain?"

She gave a high pitched hum of agreement, her eyes still closed tight.

"Fix it in time."

"I don't know…"

He felt his frown twitch. "No. _Fix it_."

He was about to close the door when she grasped at his arm. "Armitage."

"What?" If they were on such a tight timeline, what the hell else could she possibly need to add? Further, why the hell was she using his first name in front of his troopers?

He was caught completely off guard when she leaned in quickly, her lips catching the edge of his mouth.

"Bye."

She shoved him into the room and the door sealed off immediately.

He stumbled back a few steps, his mouth hanging open in shock, before gathering himself quickly and turning to his men. They looked suspiciously unaware of what just happened. He was certain they'd all seen.

He would have to deal with that later.

"Do we have a camera out there? Audio? Anything?"

"Yes, sir. Just visual." One of the copilots brought the view up on the large screen.

She was crouched on the floor, her face buried in her knees. Down the entire hallway, all the doors were sealed.

Seconds later, a few men came into view. From their looks, Hux was willing to guess they were bounty hunters. They were all wearing armor, and heavily armed.

One cut to the lead and went to her. She didn't move. He took his helmet off and crouched down in front of her. He said something.

With no audio Hux couldn't be certain, but she seemed to be making no response whatsoever. She remained on the floor, hugging her knees tightly.

The screen on the panel continued to flash. He watched it for a moment, wondering how she could possibly be working so quickly. He could barely keep up with the screen changes. When he looked back to the holo feed, the man was trying to pry her face upright. She resisted stubbornly, attempting to buy as much time as possible.

The man grew visibly frustrated and finally grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her hard enough to drag her across the floor. Hux winced. It looked terribly painful.

He forced her upright, though it took him a few tries. She was hardly cooperative and completely refused to use her legs. He finally dropped her to the floor and cuffed her arms behind her back, then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

The screen was still flashing away.

"She needs more time… Do we have control of the doors?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He went to the door. "You all hide."

They looked at him, confused.

"Just do it." He hissed.

They moved quickly, hiding themselves the best they could.

Hux drew the blaster from his hip and glanced at the holo, memorizing exactly where they were, then opened the door and took fire, narrowly missing the one in charge by a few inches.

The intruders were quick, and one managed to clip his shoulder before he could fire again.

The leader gave a disgusted sigh and tossed the girl to one of his men. He appeared to be in his late 30's, with a scar running through one eyebrow. He frowned at Hux. "An officer? You all do tend to have awful aim."

A few snickers came from the men behind him.

Hux sincerely wished he could let the man know he had purposefully missed. He glanced to her, slung over another man's shoulder. Her eyes were still closed tightly.

"So tell me…" The man's eyes scanned his uniform and caught his rank. "Commander? You must be wearing someone else's uniform; you're way too young for a Commander."

"No, that is my rank."

The man looked amused. "Right. Well, then… where are the rest of your men, _Commander_?" He used the title in the most condescending tone possible.

"You won't find them."

He rolled his eyes, "See, that part doesn't really matter. We'll annihilate your entire ship, whether or not we find out where your men are."

He looked down his nose at the man. "You think I'd give up my own crew to a band of thieves?"

He laughed. "Ah… you're sorely mistaken if that's what you think we are."

"Well you seem to have taken something of ours…"

He glanced back to her and saw her eyes were still shut tight, with fat tears dripping awkwardly off her eyelashes and into her hair.

The man looked smug, "Enjoy the last few moments of your life, Major. There's not much left." He picked up Hux's blaster from the floor and turned, walking away.

"What do you want with the girl?"

The man froze at the question.

"What makes some tech controller slave girl so important that your people would go to this extent to retrieve her?"

He glanced back to Hux, "That, I'm afraid is none of your business."

"DONE!" Hux felt as shocked as the leader of the thieves looked when she cried out. Her eyes were open now, and she was gasping like she hadn't taken a breath in several minutes. The sound of the ship firing suddenly flooded his ears. The doors all flew open.

The man ripped her from his subordinate's shoulders, throwing her to the floor, "What have you done?"

Hux tackled him as he took aim at the girl, then pulled her into the opposite room as his troopers emerged from the rooms, firing on the intruders. The door sealed off, leaving the two of them locked in the small room alone.

They were both breathing heavily. Hux's shoulder wasn't hurt too badly – he couldn't move it at the moment but he imagined Sebbie would be able to fix. She was sprawled on her back on the floor, with tears running down her face.

He stood quickly, "You need to let me out, my troopers need help. They'll make it back to their ship before we can…"

She laughed, an almost wild, unfiltered noise, "They won't. Their ship is gone."

"Wha… What?"

"It's gone. I detached it."

Her laughter quickly dissolved to a sob and she covered her mouth. She pushed herself to a sitting position and buried her face in her knees once more. He could see her shoulders shaking – he wasn't sure if it was laughter or tears. Possibly both.

The firing from the ship died down and someone banged on the door. "Sir! Hux! It's clear!"

The door fell open at his trooper's call and a few rushed in, including Sebbie, who went straight to Hux. "How's your shoulder?"

"It should be fine; the shot barely clipped it…"

There was a loud sob from the girl. "Fucking idiot… got shot…"

Sebbie winced a little at her wording. "I think she's a little… overwhelmed."

Under normal circumstances, she would have been completely out of line. Hux shook his head, "No. I understand."

"I told you to hide…" She was so quiet he barely heard her say it. He imagined nobody else was able to.


	3. Chapter 3

Sebbie passed by his office several hours after the event. Most everyone was asleep; the ship was for the most part quiet. Hux was working his way through the pile of reports he was going to have to submit for this mission, which had more than doubled since the shootout aboard his own ship.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. The shoulder feels much better."

"You should get some rest. Your body needs to recover. Not to mention your mind, after everything that's happened…"

Hux felt like people told him this entirely too often. He slept two cycles ago. He was fine. "Yes, well, I have some paperwork to get through first…" He glanced to the mountain next to him. It felt like a joke.

"Right." Sebbie hesitated. "I hate to do this, sir, but you do need to rest."

Hux looked at him.

"You look like you're about to collapse. Medic's orders… you need to rest for a few hours."

Hux blinked a few times, and wished he could sigh all the paperwork away. "Yes, yes you're probably right. I suppose all this can wait." He stood, "You're turning in for awhile as well?"

He nodded, "Yeah. The trooper that was injured during the raid woke a few hours ago."

"Oh? How is he?"

"He's good; he'll make a full recovery. He fell asleep not long ago, so I'm taking advantage while I can."

Hux closed up his office and they walked down the deserted hallway together.

"Oni was terribly worried about you."

Hux looked at Sebbie. Confirmed: The men in the control room _had_ seen the sly move she'd pulled. Now he had to do damage control for any rumors popping up…

"She came to me asking about your injury."

"Hm." He did his best to show little interest.

Sebbie sighed, "The next thing I knew she was sobbing on the floor of the med bay. I'm actually really glad she came to see me; she was a complete pile of nerves. In her mind, the scenario had two outcomes: She'd be taken back to their ship and thrown back into her prior life - though I imagine there would have been some awful punishment to go with that - or that she'd be taken back to their ship just in time for her to resolve the issue and she'd die in the explosion. She honestly didn't believe she'd be able to do it in time."

Hux didn't reply.

"You should try to speak with her at some point…"

He looked at Sebbie with a raised eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

He shrugged, shaking his head, "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to overstep." He turned away, "This is my quarters. I'll see you later, I imagine."

Hux didn't bother saying goodbye. When he saw the door to his quarters, he realized how tired he really was. Maybe Sebbie was right.

He jerked awake when something crashed into his legs.

It took him a moment to realize where he was - sitting on the chair in his quarters, with one foot on the floor next to his boot. The other leg was on his footstool, boot still on, with someone hanging across it. The woman. Oni was tangled in his leg.

His head swam for a moment. He had a few drinks before he sat down to remove his boots. Perhaps he was still slightly drunk. He jerked his leg out from under her, dizzy from the mix of drunkenness and exhaustion. Had he really only been able to remove one boot before falling asleep?

She scrambled upright. "Oh. You're here?"

He rubbed his face, trying to gather his thoughts. "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that question? What the hell are you doing in my quarters?"

She blinked at him. Not really at him. In his general direction.

"I was taking a bath." Her tone indicated that this might be the obvious thing ever.

"Oh." _Wait. That's not normal._ "How did you get in here?"

Again, she blinked. "Have you not seen me open and close enough doors?"

 _Oh_. He rubbed his face again.

"How long have you been here?" She asked.

"I don't know… I fell asleep."

"Oh."

"How long were you in my washroom?"

"Maybe an hour."

He couldn't have been asleep long, then. She must have entered shortly before he had, and he must have been so tired he hadn't heard her in the bathroom. He glanced to the table and saw a nearly empty glass of whiskey and an open bottle. That certainly hadn't made his perception any better.

"How is your shoulder?"

"Hm? Oh. It's fine."

Her mouth twisted into a frown, "You should have stayed in the room."

He looked at her for a moment, "Like I said, I'm fine. It really wasn't bad at all. And it was worth doing. You've now saved me and my entire crew twice."

She blinked quickly, "I told you to stay. You would not have gotten hurt."

"I'm not hurt, I'm perfectly fine." He pushed himself to his feet roughly. His shoulder was stiff, and his head still swam from the drink and lack of sleep. He was feeling just detached enough to say something to her. "And on that note, the stunt you pulled before you shoved me into the control room… The kiss. My crew saw that. And somehow the whole ship knows now. Don't behave like that… now I have to squash all these rumors that we're…"

"Oh." She tilted her head. "Would you like me to clarify to them?"

"No. No I think it would be best if you kept far away from the situation at this point. But I would like you to clarify to me. Exactly what were you thinking?"

She shrugged, "I was certain I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I thought I'd either be dead or chained back into a chair in less than an hour. It seemed like… something I should get out of the way while I could. I'm sorry it's caused you trouble. But it would be terribly sad to have died without ever having been kissed…"

"Well, don't do it again. The damage control I have to do now..." _Hold on._ There was something odd in what she just said. "That was your first kiss?"

"Well… yes. Sort of. I mean. I don't know. Does it count as a kiss if you don't want it at all? I don't think it does."

He tried to process what she said, but his mind was moving very slowly. He was filled with an odd mix of pity and drunkenness and a small desire to laugh at the whole situation. It was grotesquely inappropriate.

"I feel bad for you." He couldn't remember the last time he said that to anyone. It was very possible the sentence had never passed through his lips before.

She frowned and crossed her arms, "Why? There is nothing wrong with me. You have no reason to pity me..."

"No. No. You seem to have dealt with the life handed to you with remarkable maturity. That's not what I was referring to."

"Well then what is it that makes you think I'm pathetic?" She snapped at him – it made him want to laugh again. But again, that would be grotesquely inappropriate.

"I don't think you're pathetic. But I do think that was a sorry excuse for a first kiss."

She was about to retort, but snapped her jaw shut quickly. "It's not like I had time to make better plans. Or… Eyes. To see what the hell I was doing. At least I managed to catch your mouth."

He rubbed his face again. Maybe his head was spinning just enough for this. He pulled her chin toward him and kissed her. It was brief - just a quick, fleeting thing. "There. That's better."

Her strikingly long eyelashes fluttered, hanging low over her eyes. "Um…"

He let her chin go and stood straight, "You've saved me and my crew twice now. If all you want is a decent kiss and access to my bathtub… I think I can manage."

"I… Um…"

"You're sleeping in the med bay, correct? I'm sorry we don't have room on the ship for better accommodations… Would you like me to walk you back?"

"Uh…" She blinked rapidly. "Yes. Please."

He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. It was kind of… cute. He put his hand on her arm and guided her to the door. "And another thing. Do _not_ use my first name around my crew."

"Oh. Okay."

They walked back to the med bay in relative silence. The patient in the other bed was still fast asleep.

"We will be back to the main base in about ten cycles. We should have more suitable sleeping quarters for you there."

"Is this… not suitable to you?"

It hadn't really occurred to him that this was probably much nicer than what she was used to. "Yes, well, I'll see to it that you're given something that is at least private. Something with a washroom."

"Oh. Thank you."

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm a little tired…"

"And drunk?"

He paused. He'd hoped she wouldn't notice that. "I don't quite have the mental stamina for a conversation at the moment, but I think I… we… might be able to provide more help for you. Let me sleep for a few hours and give me a little time to develop a strategy."

She blinked at him, "Do I need help?"

He wasn't sure whether he was impressed with her strong sense of independence in the face of her situation, or if he was shocked by her complete ignorance to the fact that yes, she really did need help. He considered his next sentence carefully. "I think I may be able to get your ocular implants upgraded. So you can see again."

"Really?!"

He put his hand over her mouth, "Be quiet. You have a roommate."

The man in the other bed was snoring.

"Oh… Really?" She whispered her black eyes wide with an almost comical excitement.

He was really glad she couldn't see his face. "Yes. Possibly. We'll discuss tomorrow. For now…" He paused, feeling a grotesquely inappropriate urge that he quickly suppressed. "Good night."

He left quickly.

Hux welcomed the break from his mountain of paperwork when she came to his office the next day.

"One of your men said you wanted to speak with me?"

He stood, "Yes, yes." He went to her side and led her to the spare seat, then turned to close the door. It closed for him before he reached it.

"I may not be able to find chairs, but I can close doors." She smiled. "Is your shoulder feeling better?"

He wished she'd stop asking. "Yes. A little stiff, but Arim tells me that's a sign it's recovering. I wanted to speak with you about an idea I've had."

"Oh?"

He sat back in his chair, considering the best way to approach the subject. "I would like to see to it that your ocular implants are upgraded. Quite frankly, I'd like to see to it that you're given the best ones available, with full vision capabilities and technical capabilities beyond what your current set allows. Would you like that?"

She blinked a few times. "Full vision capabilities?"

"Yes. You'd be able to see again, just like before they removed your… natural eyes." He couldn't think of any better way to say it.

She blinked. He wondered if she was confused.

"Why are you asking me if I'd like that? Of course I'd like that. I'd love it more than anything…"

"Good. To be frank, I believe that The Order owes you something so generous considering you've saved me and my crew twice. However, I can guarantee you my superiors will not see it that way."

"They don't think their people are worth a pair of eyes?"

He hadn't thought of it that way. It was a bit harsh.

"What sort of an organization do you work for?" She sounded disgusted.

He sighed, "Listen, they're going to want to know that they can get something in return. If you are open to the idea, I'm going to propose that you are given a special position within the Order…"

"Wait… you want me to _join_ your organization of leaders who don't think their people are worth a pair of eyes?"

"Just listen to my entire proposal before you make any judgment. That display yesterday… what you did… it was absolutely astounding."

"You mean fixing your ship?"

He paused, wondering what else he could mean. "Yes. Not just fixing it, but doing it in an incredibly high pressure environment with a very limited time frame, and while being distracted with… some bastard throwing you around by your hair. I think you'd be a magnificent ally for us to have. And I think I can convince my superiors of that as well. If you're willing to consider joining us, I am willing to use whatever influence I have to help you get a foot in the door. Once we can show them that they stand to benefit from helping you, it will be easy to get you what you need."

She was quiet for a moment, blinking at him. He had to remind himself that she wasn't actually blinking _at him_. The black orbs were slightly deceiving.

"I will not join forces with an organization I know so little of."

"You're smart to say that. My concern is that we have a very limited window here. If this is something you are potentially interested in, I need to plant the seed now. If you decide that you'd rather not be associated with the Order, you can back out later. But if you choose not to seize the opportunity now, I'm afraid there will be no way in for you."

She still seemed hesitant.

"I am here to answer any questions you may have about The Order. I don't need your answer right now, but I do need it soon… Tomorrow, ideally. I encourage you to very strongly consider my proposal. I think it may be your best chance at seeing again, and beyond that… I think the Order could offer you some other things you may need as well."

She was quiet for a few moments, her mouth twisted into a small frown. "I'm curious, what is it you think I need?"

"Well… a home, to start. And a way to make a living for yourself. We have an entire section just for defensive tech development… I think you'd find good opportunity there to put your skills to use."

"I… I don't know. There a many things for me to think about."

He nodded, "Of course. Like I said, I don't expect an answer now."

"You'll answer any of my questions?"

"Any that I can, yes."

She blinked quickly. "You haven't told me much about this organization, other than that you're all about creating order. I could have guessed that from the name. So you want order. Why?"

"Order begets progress. Stability is good for everyone. You of all people ought to understand the need for a strong, lawful hand."

She tilted her head to the side and he wondered if he overstepped. "Yes, I suppose I would. Why did you choose to join?"

Hux considered for a moment. "The honest truth is that I never desired anything different. Though I suppose my case is slightly unusual. I was very much raised in the Order. The founders of the organization were all significant figures in my life, including my own father. I've always been very attracted to progress and order, and I've always liked that the Order has unlimited room for growth. It seemed like a natural fit."

"Oh? Your father helped build the organization? How old is it?"

"We've been around for roughly 20 years, though it's difficult to point to an exact start date."

"Twenty years… And your father was involved with the Empire?"

"Yes. The Order was, so to speak, formed from the ashes of the Empire. Though we are an entirely different organization. The Empire, obviously, had its inefficiencies. I think of us as a more progressive organization. We're far more technologically advanced than the Empire ever was."

"Oh."

He couldn't read her. Did she think this was a good thing or a bad thing?

"I am vaguely familiar with some of the old military leadership of the Empire. Who is involved with your organization?"

"Are you? We were founded by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, with the help of my father and a few others."

"A Grand Admiral? Was your father a Grand Admiral as well?"

He nearly snorted. "No. He was not."

"I see. Unfortunately I am not familiar with this Rae Sloane. Are there any others I may know?"

"If you're not familiar with Rae Sloane I don't think you'd know of any of the others."

"It seems you were raised in a military family. It must have been natural for you to take this path."

Family. Ha. "It was. I grew up with my father relating stories of the Imperial battles to me. My heroes growing up were the late leadership of the Empire."

"Oh? You must have had a favorite."

He caught himself smiling a little. "I did. Rae Sloane. But that is another story. I grew up around her. She was very kind to me."

She smiled a little. "That is terribly sweet."

He spent another few hours answering her questions, before he had to cut the conversation off.

"You'll let me know your decision tomorrow?"

She nodded. "I will. I have many things to consider."


	4. Chapter 4

He was surprised to see her sitting in his office when he arrived the next morning. Something seemed different – there was an air of superiority about her that he'd never seen from her before. Her posture was entirely different, with her shoulders pinched back neatly.

"I've thought your proposal over."

"And?" He moved into the seat behind his desk.

"I am cautiously accepting your offer."

He nodded, "Good. I'm glad to hear that. I think it will be a mutually beneficial arrangement…"

"That is," She interrupted him, "my one condition. This will be _mutually_ beneficial, and I expect the matter to be treated with that in mind. You organization is _not_ doing me a favor."

It was a curious thing for her to say. "Of course. I wouldn't think of it any other way."

"I would hope not. It's not you I'm concerned about." She shook her head, "I suppose we can address it if it comes up."

He nodded slowly, watching her closely. She was behaving entirely differently. "If I am to do this, to throw all my support behind you in this matter, I need your word that you will cooperate with me. What I mean by that is primarily that I need you to be very open with me regarding your past and your thoughts on current matters. This process will take some time… most likely my superiors will want to question you at least a few times. They will pry into your past, and they will dissect your opinions on current matters. I can help you address their inquiries to your advantage, but you need to be open with me before we get to the point that they're interrogating you."

"That seems reasonable."

"Good. I will be submitting my report late today, which will, naturally, summarize everything you've done to help us thus far. I think we're best starting with a soft approach – I'm certain they will inquire further. I will keep you updated with any progress. I hope to have a preliminary interview set between you and a few of my superiors before we land."

She gave a short nod, "Thank you."

It took him several more hours of work to finish his initial report – he was very careful to word himself correctly when it came to her actions during both conflicts. By the time he finished, most of his crew was turning in for a rest period. It'd been nearly two cycles since he last slept, and the massive amount of paperwork left his eyes exhausted. He drug himself back to his quarters, pouring himself a drink in hopes that it would help settle his mind so he could manage a few hours of sleep.

He leaned over his drink, hoping he'd worded himself strongly enough in his report. He felt like he was treading a fine line – her abilities were without a doubt, highly impressive, but they were impressive to the point that they were nearly unbelievable. If he hadn't seen it happen in real time, he wouldn't have believed it himself.

He finished off his drink and poured himself another, wondering how he should approach presenting her to his superiors. He'd initially been quite concerned with it – she had a sort of bubbly, humorous air about her that military officials were generally not all that impressed with. However, seeing the way she behaved in his office earlier… it put his mind at ease a little. She had at least shown that she could behave in a more reserved manner. If she could keep that appearance up through any interviews, their goal was much more achievable. However, he was a little concerned that she might not be able to maintain that level of professionalism while his superiors were interrogating her about more personal aspects of her past. He would have to go over this with her. The last thing he needed was her to make a snide comment to one of his superiors.

He rubbed his face, trying to erase the tired feeling from his eyes.

To his left, he heard his door slide open. She entered his quarters, humming to herself. She stepped deftly around his furniture, clearly unaware that he was in the room. She paused before his washroom and started to pull her shirt off.

He cleared his throat.

She jumped, "Oh! What are you doing here?"

He looked at her for a few moments. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? These are my quarters… do you not even knock?"

"Well you're never here at this time."

"That's not… Do you really just come in here whenever you want, without even knocking?"

"Well…"

"You're welcome to use my wash room as often as you like, but I would appreciate it if you'd at least knock before entering."

"Er… Okay."

"It might also be wise of you to undress in the washroom." He offered. "For privacy's sake."

"Ah… yes."

He waved at her to continue into the bathroom. She stood there awkwardly.

"Go, go. You can use it if you'd like."

She disappeared into the washroom quickly, and a few moments later he heard running water.

He moved himself from the counter to his chair, putting his feet up and continuing with his drink. She was certainly odd. He supposed he couldn't completely blame her – her life thus far had been very far from normal. It would make sense that she was not used to regular conventions, like knocking on doors. He would have to get her caught up before they reached the base. He certainly couldn't have her doing something so unusual around his superiors.

The water stopped running and the room went quiet. After a few moments, he could hear her humming again.

It occurred to him - much to his horror - that her being interrogated by his superiors meant she would be interrogated by Brendol.

That was a _highly_ unnerving thought.

Brendol Hux had never been the kindest man… He'd always been a strong conformist. That's not to say that Hux wasn't, but Brendol has always taken it to another level. For him, it wasn't just important for behavioral conformity, but for a certain amount of physical conformity as well. Hux had always thought it was a bit odd, considering both he and his father shared the same strikingly red hair, which, while not entirely rare, was certainly not common. His father always found other things to pick at though… Hux's build being one of them. Brendol, for reasons far beyond Hux's understanding, seemed to think that Hux's rather slim build would signal some sort of incompetence to his superiors. In truth, the tailors did always have to add extra padding to his uniform around the shoulders – the uniforms simply weren't designed to fit his build.

If Brendol saw an issue with Hux being too slim, he'd find an entire slew of issues with her as well. One being her build. She was quite thin, with long, lanky legs. There was no way a standard uniform would ever fit her – the pants would either fit like crops or need to be cinched like a bag around her small waist.

And then there was her eyes. Brendol certainly wouldn't like that. She didn't look normal at all. With any luck, the redness would disappear if they were able to get her upgraded prosthetics. That should help a little.

He frowned a little at his thoughts. Picking her apart like this… it didn't seem right. What she had was a brilliant mind. It was frustrating that things like this should matter. Further, he didn't think she actually looked that odd. Maybe he was biased because they shared a similarly lanky build.

The washroom door opened and she stepped out, violently rubbing at her wet hair with a towel. He watched her closely.

"Thank you for letting me use your washroom."

"It's not a problem. Just… please knock."

She continued trying to squeeze the excess water out of her fluffy hair. He actually didn't think her eyes looked that odd either. Well, maybe they looked a little odd. But there was something a little dreamy about them. Maybe it was her eyelashes.

He stood, taking his mind from his thoughts. "Have you been using my washroom every day?"

She hesitated. "Yes."

He was so incredibly happy she hadn't walked in at an inopportune moment in the past few days. They'd both gotten lucky enough to not intrude on each other.

"Sorry."

"Just… knock. Please knock."

"Did you finish your report?"

"Yes, I turned it in about an hour ago." He paused. "I am very glad you're willing to consider joining forces with us."

She nodded, still rubbing at her hair.

"That… seems like a lost cause."

"What?"

"Your hair. The towel doesn't seem to be doing much."

She smiled and pulled it away, balling it up in her hands, "Yes. It sort of is. The air does a better job than a towel."

The hair was going to be a problem as well. She certainly couldn't be presented with wild, fluffy hair.

He frowned again. He liked the way it framed her face, at a slightly quirky angle.

"Are you drinking again?" She took a step toward him, putting a hand on the small table.

"Hm? Yes. It's nothing really. It just helps me sleep."

"You have trouble sleeping?"

"Yes… this just… quiets my mind a little."

"Oh. I never tried that. They never allowed me to have alcohol."

He felt obligated to offer, "Would you… like to try some?"

"Mm. No. But thank you. It does smell nice. Maybe it would help me sleep as well."

"You have trouble sleeping?"

"Yes… I slept a lot on the ship. It seemed like the best thing I could do when I wasn't in the chair. But it has been difficult here. I don't know why." She quickly turned her frown to a smile, "Maybe my mind is just excited. Everything is changing, very quickly. There's a lot for me to think about."

He nodded, "That would make sense. If you're having too much trouble sleeping, speak with the medic. He can give you some medication that will help."

"There's medication that can help?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you take it?"

It was an excellent question. He looked at the half-empty glass on the table. "This tastes a lot better than pills."

She laughed. He didn't mean it in a funny way.

"I should return to the med bay…"

He looked at her for a moment. Her fluffy hair was still wet and her skin looked soft and clean from the shower, returning to its normal luminescent color.

He was sad he had to pick everything about her apart. He was actually quite fond of how she looked.

 _It's a stupid thing to do_ , he thought, but he leaned in and kissed her again. _It's a very stupid thing to do._ But fuck it. If rumors were already happening, he might as well get something good out of it.

"Oh."

He was a little haughty with her reaction each time he kissed her. She seemed to completely lose her ability to talk, almost like she was drunk on him. It was a huge turn on, the way she stumbled awkwardly toward him when his lips parted from hers.

He was just drunk enough to try it again, brushing his finger along her cheekbone and watching her closely as he parted from her. She trailed after him for a moment, like she wanted more.

"Oh…" She pulled away from him quickly, eyelashes fluttering heavily over her eyes. "You are a bit cruel, I think."

"Hm?" He wanted to kiss her again. He leaned in, but she backed away, almost defensively.

"No. Please… I think I should not have accepted your proposal. This is quite cruel."

He had been under the impression, the first time she said it, that she was teasing. "I'm sorry… what do you mean? Did I read you wrong? It seemed pretty apparent to me that you liked that…"

She suddenly looked indignant, taking another step back from him, "I am not here for you to toy around with. I would like to be able to see again, but I will not be coerced into playing a role in some… fucked up manipulative fantasy you have…"

He realized his mouth was hanging open. He snapped it shut quickly, once more, happy she couldn't see him. "I… I suppose I can see where you might be under the impression that was my intention, but…" he almost couldn't believe that she would accuse him of such a thing… "That wasn't at all what I was doing."

It didn't seem to help, she just seemed more upset, throwing her balled up wet towel onto his floor carelessly and trying to make her way around him to the door. "What do you expect me to believe you were doing then?"

He felt like it was a trick question. "Kissing you. That was about it. And probably enjoying it at least as much as you seemed to be."

She scowled at him.

"Is that really so difficult to believe?"

"It is."

"Why?"

"Because. Because you're some… hot-shot young military officer with a nice voice and very soft lips and I am…" She seemed increasingly frustrated trying to find the right description for herself, "I am whatever I am. Some eyeless, lost soul that would be far too easy for you to manipulate. You would have no reason to be interested in me aside from the fact that I'm easy to toy with."

He was completely stumped by her outburst. "It certainly couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've saved my life twice? Or that you're utterly brilliant?"

Her eyelashes fluttered over her eyes again, "Those are not any reason to kiss someone."

"I completely disagree with that. But I suppose it's not my only reason."

She frowned at him, her arms crossed.

"In addition to that, I think you're kind of… disastrously attractive. And I like the way you can't seem to speak after I kiss you." He paused. "So I suppose in that sense there is a little bit of manipulation on my end. But it's really very… enticing."

"You're a liar. I don't even have eyes. How do you find a person attractive when they don't have eyes?"

He inhaled sharply, shaking his head, "I… I don't know what to tell you about that. It works for you, in an odd sort of way that I think only you could pull off. I suppose you've never seen what you look like… but you just sort of appear to have very large, dark irises."

"Liar."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing a little. She was being utterly childish. "How would you know I'm lying? You've never seen yourself."

She remained with her arms crossed.

He sighed, "Look, you're welcome to leave if you'd like. I certainly won't demand you stay here, especially if you're under the impression I have some sort of malicious intent. But… I can assure you I'm just…" he paused, trying to think of the least offensive way to word himself, "Just enjoying myself."

Her eyelashes fluttered again.

"Would you like me to see you back to the med bay?" He wasn't sure what her hesitation was in leaving, but maybe she was just intimidated of walking back to the med bay on her own.

"No." She snapped at him. "If I wanted to go back I'd do it on my own."

He was quiet for a moment, letting her temper cool off. "So… you don't want to go back?"

Her frown twitched, "I… I don't know."

He took a step toward her, cautiously extending his hand to her, "Can I…?" He placed his fingers on her jaw and drew her, quite willingly, toward him.

"I am… I am terribly confused." She mumbled into his lips when he kissed her again.

"Mm." Her lips chased after his when they parted, and caught on his lower lip. "Me too. If that's worth anything."

It must have been worth something, because she touched the corner of his mouth with her thumb and kissed him again, almost hungrily. He parted his lips and teased his tongue over hers, exerting an inordinate amount of self control to not push her against the wall when she gasped. She was already leery of him and he didn't want to push it too far and scare her away. But her little, breathless reactions to everything he did were enough to leave him teetering on the edge of self-control.

He put a hand on her hip, his fingers just barely creeping under the hem of her shirt. Her skin was cool and soft and he moved his fingers up a little higher, wanting to feel more.

"Oh." She drew back from his lips a little and he realized he'd gone too far. He pulled his hand away, but she stopped it, pushing it back to where it was. "No. Don't stop."

He let his fingers glide over the bare skin on her hip greedily. "I don't want to scare you."

With her lips against his neck, she laughed. "You would have to try very hard to do that."

He guided her away from his neck and kissed her again, "I don't think you understand how badly you're making me want you."

Her mouth turned to a flat line. "Oh. I see." She was quiet for a moment. "What makes you think _that_ would scare me?"

"Well you didn't entirely have the best reaction to me kissing you. And I certainly don't want you thinking I'm trying to take advantage of you."

Her mouth remained flat.

"Is something wrong?"

She made for his neck again, nipping at his skin gently. "You must think that since I only just had my first kiss…" She slid her hand down the waistband of his pants and grasped his throbbing erection. "That I have no idea what to do with this."

Between the shock of her sudden apparent knowledge of male anatomy and the way she stroked him, he was caught completely off guard. "Ah…" He huffed a little, his nose buried in her still damp, frizzy hair.

"You do not know anything about me." Her breath was hot against his neck as she spoke, continuing to work his cock. "I do not mind that. But the fact that you do not understand… so you fill in the blanks with whatever you assume to be correct…"

She jerked her hand out from his trousers and the door to the hallway opened. She pushed him out of her way; it didn't take much force – he had the stamina of a slip of paper after what she'd just pulled. He blinked wildly, watching her stride to the door.

"You are an intellectual, Commander. Try acting like one."

The door slid shut behind her. He forced his jaw closed and fell back onto his bed, with the most infuriatingly confusing erection he'd ever had.


	5. Chapter 5

They somehow managed to avoid each other on the small ship for two whole cycles. At the start of the third, he received a message from his direct superior, Major Winig:

 _We are interested in speaking further with this individual you seem to think would be a benefit to the Order. A meeting has been set for the day after your arrival. Both you and she are expected to be present._

 _Please see me immediately upon your return._

He considered going to find her, but thought better of it. She seemed quite upset when she stormed out of his room and he wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't make a scene in front of his men. He decided to send one of his men for her, and let her come to him at her own will.

A few hours later, she strode through the door with her perfect posture. "What do you want?"

He looked up from his paperwork, already sensing trouble from her tone. The door was sitting wide open behind her. He stood and went to the keypad, putting in the code to close it. It didn't budge.

"Oni, will you please…"

"No. The door can stay open."

"It really can't…"

"I can't think of anything you need to do with me that requires a closed door."

He rubbed his face, "Yes, actually." He returned to his seat. She didn't sit. "I need to speak with you about our plan. I just received word from my superior. He and a few others would like to meet with you the day after we return to the base."

"Good. See? There's no part of that that requires a closed door."

"Yes, there actually is. I just haven't gotten to it yet because the door is sitting wide open."

She was quiet for a moment. "I can't hear anyone walking around out there. We essentially have privacy. You can speak to me with the door open."

"See, this sort of thing is exactly what I'm concerned with. If you behave like this during the interview you won't have a shot in hell…"

Her jaw twitched. "Well, I suppose the people interviewing me won't have given me reason to behave like this, hm?"

Hux already felt like he needed a drink. "This is…" He shook his head, hissing at her in a low enough voice that nobody outside the room could possibly hear, "This is exactly why I never get myself involved in this sort of thing."

The door slid shut quickly. "I told you… I told you that this was to be treated as a mutually beneficial thing."

"Have I not done that?" He shook his head helplessly.

"No. Absolutely not. You seem to have already written some unfortunate life story for me in your head. I'm some sad, eyeless, slave girl that you swooped in and rescued and now you'll help me get my sight back and maybe get lucky…"

He finally managed to snap his jaw closed, "That is not _at all_ what I assumed. And like you, I'd prefer to not discuss this matter any further. Can we discuss the matter at hand?"

She huffed, frowning. "Good. Yes. Your superiors want to meet with me? Have you just called me here to tell me to behave myself? You think I'm going to lose my temper on your boss or something?"

"Well, to be frank, yes, I am a little concerned with that. I would like…" He hesitated, watching her closely, "to go over some of the things I think they're going to ask you. I want to make sure you… and I… are both properly prepared for anything that may come up."

"So what, a mock interview? Fine. Do you have time now in your busy schedule, _sir_?"

He rubbed his face, not knowing how to deal with her increasingly poor attitude. "Yes. Yes, I have time now. Do you think you're capable of taking this seriously?"

She hesitated, her jaw twitching again, and then took a seat across from him. "Try me."

"Alright then." This seemed like nothing short of a disaster already. "State your name."

"Oni Sebai." She paused, then added with a tinge of smarminess, " _Sir_."

"Where are you from?"

"I've spent the past 15 years passed from one owner to another as a slave. Most recently, I was on the ship owned by Zed Noonga, the man responsible for stealing First Order property. I was there for just over a year before your crew helped me gain my freedom."

"And where are you originally from?"

"A small moon called Nivo. I lived there until I was taken at the age of 5."

"What were your duties aboard Noonga's ship?"

"I was the lead tech controller on the ship. My duties included basic security, tech related repairs and upgrades, and some creative work when needed."

"What sort of creative work?"

"Security system design. Your men witnessed of my creations first hand, a malicious program capable of altering the radar capabilities of enemy ships, making it impossible for them to detect nearby ships."

"And where did you acquire the knowledge to do such things?"

"I've always been inclined to technology-related matters. The people who originally took me from my home saw my capabilities and decided I was worth most to them as a techie. They chose to remove my natural eyes and replace them with the prosthetics I have today. I spent the next 15 years working with tech for 15 hours a day… The prosthetics don't have vision capabilities – I have literally seen nothing but numbers and vague heat signatures for 15 years. My skills were honed very quickly with such restraints."

"Those were the only duties you had as a slave?"

"Yes. Like I said, I was worth more to them as a techie."

"How about your prosthetics? What was that process like, getting them?"

"Terrifying, from what I remember. Like I said, I was five. I knew they were there to do something to me. They gave me some sort of anesthesia, and when I woke up, I couldn't see. Everything was dark for some time… I don't know how long it was. Then they turned on my eyes. That was almost just as frightening. The way I see now – it's quite different from normal. Though I don't remember what normal is very well anymore."

It was a fascinating, sad thought. He wanted to ask her what sort of images she remembered. "Is it fair to say the incident traumatized you?"

"No. Not really." She frowned a little.

"No? Explain."

"It did for awhile. Losing one of your senses would be traumatizing for anyone, I think. But I grew used to my new eyes. In ways, they are better than natural eyes. If you think that is the most difficult thing I went through, you severely misunderstand my experiences." She paused. "You have very little understanding of what has happened to me."

"The purpose of this entire thing, Oni, is for me to gain an understanding of what you've been through so I can help fight for what the Order should rightfully give you."

She was quiet for a moment, chewing on the edge of her frown. Her posture had relaxed a little. "When I was twelve, I was sold off to a rather nasty man who was heavily involved in trafficking slaves, particularly for the purposes you thought I might have been used for. He said that the people who had removed my eyes had done me a disservice - that had they gone with a more natural looking prosthetic I might have been sellable as a sort of "two for the price of one" deal. But alas, the empty eye socket look isn't in high demand.

"Every ship I'd been on had a decent sized group of people owned by the one in charge. We talked among each other, whenever the opportunity would arise. I'd heard stories of what happened to the people used for those purposes. I'd met several of them. I'd seen people left with cuts and bruises, young ones left bleeding, and older ones that were constantly drugged to stay complacent… It isn't the worst thing I'd seen someone in my position forced to do, but it certainly was not something I had any interest in being a part of.

"Anyhow, after about two years on that ship, the owner added a new member to his collection – a boy. He was young. He told me he was eight. His name was Luca Russo, and he was very sweet. The owner of the ship had… had taken a personal interest in him. I felt so bad for the boy… he had such a kind heart and he was so young and fragile and…" She blinked quickly, shaking her head, "He was smart. He was curious. He could have done so much. I only met him… maybe three or four times. He asked me so many questions the first time we met… about what I did, and how I did it, and my eyes, and why they're so funny. He told me I reminded him of his older sister.

"The second time I saw him was a few months into his… his… I don't know. What would you call it? Torture? I never know the right word for what they do to ones so young. He had changed. He was much more quiet, and sad. I'd only see him every two… three months. He always seemed excited to talk to me, and I kind of adored him. He… he reminded me of something I never quite got to have. The last time I saw him… he had been ruined. He was so terribly sad. The others told me he walked around with bruises… one of the cleaning servants told me he could hear the boy crying from the quarters he was forced to stay in every night.

"I didn't see him for six months. I wondered what had happened. I hoped… It was a stupid thing, but I had hoped that monster had grown bored with him and sold him off to some new owner. Hopefully one who would treat him better. I was so curious, so I found my way into the digital profile for him. He'd killed himself a few months prior." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Those sort of things were by far the worst part. I… I am quite efficient at dealing with whatever is thrown my way. But I am not so adept when it comes to watching others suffer."

He pressed his fingers to his lips, watching her closely. "I'm… sorry. That's a terrible thing for anyone to have to witness."

"I am not the one that needs empathy. That boy… Luca. He deserves pity. And the dozens of others I saw go through similarly horrendous things. I try not to think of them, but… but it has become increasingly difficult in the past days. It seems the further I move away from that life the more vivid their ghosts become." She shook her head, "I suppose that may be a sign that I am… mentally unfit for your organization? I should not have discussed this matter with you."

"If the inability to sleep regularly made you unfit for the Order, I wouldn't be in this uniform. No, it's actually very good that you told me that. It helps me gain a better understanding of you, which in turn will make it easier for us to get you what you need."

She crossed her arms again, "And what does that tell you about me?"

"First and foremost, it tells me that you're sane. Anyone that witnesses something like that and walks away unscathed has much, much more serious issues. It also tells me that you're compassionate. It can be a concern, particularly with techies, that you're detached from humanity because you spend so much time with a screen. That clearly isn't the case with you, and that's a good thing. The last thing you want is somebody in a leadership position that has no regard for their fellow man."

She was quiet for a moment. "Well, you are starting to understand."

"It wasn't something that had occurred to me before."

"That I might not be so different from you?"

He hesitated. "Well… yes, I suppose that is essentially it. I hadn't thought that somebody could go through whatever mess you've spent most of your life living in, and turn out to be very… centered, I suppose is the word I'm looking for."

She sighed, falling back into the chair all the way, "I am tired with this. Can we continue another time?"

"Mm. Yes. I have other matters to attend to at the moment. Let's speak again tomorrow."

She was already standing, waving his comment off as she went to the door, "I will find you when I am ready."

He returned to his quarters the following evening, slightly earlier than he was expecting. He removed his boots and made his way to the kitchenette for his nightly drink before he realized that he wasn't entirely alone – light was shining from the gap at the bottom of his washroom door. He assumed this meant they were back on decent speaking terms.

He was about to pour himself a drink when a transmission came through on his comlink. He checked the ID – Brendol Hux. He had an urge to ignore it, especially considering Oni was in his quarters, but Brendol had never been very understanding of rejected transmissions. He accepted and a holo of the elder Hux appeared before him.

"Commander. I hear you ran into some problems on your mission."

They always addressed each other by titles. It'd never felt odd to Hux, however it had occurred to him that it was probably far from normal behavior for a father and son. "Thank you. Yes, sir, we did encounter a few challenging situations, but I am happy to report that I, and all my crew, are quite alright."

"Yes. I've read your report, actually. It was brought to my attention by a few others. Seems that most people are having a difficult time believing this… this techie you've encountered is actually capable of what you're claiming. I admit I'm one of them."

"If it were not true, I would not have included any of it in my report. She has remarkable abilities. I certainly can't blame any of you for doubting my report. I wouldn't have believed any of it had I not witnessed it myself."

"You're so confident in this individual's abilities that you recommend the Order welcome her as one of us?"

"Yes, absolutely. She's shown great interest in the opportunity, and I believe that she has much to offer the Order."

"Hm." He could already feel Brendol's doubt. "I suppose we shall see… I will be attending her interview the day after you return."

"I assumed as much."

"There will be four of us there to vet this girl. I can assure you, we will be thorough."

"I would expect nothing less. I'm sure she expects the same."

Brendol hesitated, clearing his throat. "I'm sure you're aware of the risk you're opening yourself up to by backing this woman. If she is not capable…"

"She is. I would not put my reputation on the line if I were not completely confident in her abilities."

"Right, well, I'll have you remember it's not just your reputation on the line."

Of course it wasn't. It was his father's name on the line. "As I said, I would not be doing this if I were not completely confident."

"It is easy…" Brendol hesitated again, shaking his head, "It is easy to become biased in matters such as this. I encourage you to think about any biases you may be bringing to the table before the pending interview."

Hux frowned, feeling like he needed that drink now more than ever. So the rumors of her behavior toward him had beaten him back to the base. It was amazing how quickly information spread, and even more amazing how quickly misinformation spread.

"I can assure you I have nothing to bias my judgment in this situation."

Brendol was quiet, frowning. "I'll not have you running our reputation through the muck over some slave woman from god only knows where in the Unknown Regions. I've cautioned you against such behavior in the past – these sort of attachments can and will destroy your career."

"I'm afraid whatever rumors you've heard are completely false. There is absolutely nothing between this woman and I, other than the respect I have for her abilities."

He was quiet again. "There are reports that she has been seen visiting your quarters at late hours."

"Yes, to discuss matters related to this interview, and _solely_ for that purpose."

Brendol did not appear to believe him. "Right. Well, I'm not the only one who has heard these rumors. Do not be surprised if you are questioned about it during the interview."

"I appreciate the notice."

There was a long pause. "Regardless of what you claim is or is not happening, I encourage you to consider your priorities very thoroughly before moving forward."

Before Hux could respond, the projection blinked out. Brendol had a way of ending conversations like that. If you could even call it a conversation.

He sighed deeply and collapsed into his chair, rubbing his face. How had the rumors reached his father before he'd even returned? And which of his men had caught her going into his room? Sebbie knew that she was fond of bathing in his washroom, but Hux couldn't imagine he would have said anything. He'd known Sebbie for ages, and would trust him with his life. He was not the sort to gossip.

The washroom door creaked open a little and he was suddenly reminded that she was present.

"You can come out. Thank you for the… discretion." He didn't know what else to call it. He would have preferred she weren't anywhere in his quarters while the conversation happened – no doubt she heard the entire thing. But all things considered, he was just grateful she didn't walk out of the washroom in the middle of his conversation with Brendol.

She shuffled out. "I… I am sorry. I don't think I was meant to hear that conversation."

"You weren't."

"That… was your father?"

"Yes."

He wondered if she realized he was watching her, or if she just didn't care that he could see the frown on her face. "Oh."

"I suppose it may have been good for you to overhear. It may give you a better picture of what to expect when we arrive."

"I did not think that word would have gotten back to them about me visiting your room. Which of your men would report such an insidious thing?"

Hux shook his head, "I don't know. I can narrow it down to about three or four that might do it."

Her frown didn't disappear. "Your father did not believe you when you told him nothing was happening."

"Yes, well, that's not entirely out of the ordinary."

"It's also not entirely true." She shrugged a little, tracing her finger over the back of his chair and down the armrest. He moved his arm – he'd noticed she used items like this to navigate through rooms. He didn't want to throw her off.

She reached the end of the rest and took a few steps until her hand brushed against his bed. She ran her fingers over the ledge and took a seat. "Your father does not like the idea of you spending time with someone?"

"Not necessarily. He thinks that such… relations… are a waste of time unless they involve another individual that can be… used advantageously, I suppose you could say." He shrugged. "I tend to agree with him."

She nodded slowly. "So if I were some… high ranking politician or the daughter of some powerful military leader I might be worth your time."

"Yes." He paused. "I mean to say, that is what he believes."

She gave a small smirk. "But you just said you agree with him."

"I did but… I suppose he just doesn't see where you could potentially be advantageous for me."

"Ah… Is _that_ why you were trying to sleep with me?"

"No. No." He was running into landmines in any direction he turned. "You know that's not what my intentions were at all."

She laughed a little, "I'm afraid I do not know that. I still have no understanding of what your intentions were."

"I didn't have any, okay?" He was utterly fed up with having to defend his actions, or worse to have to try an explain them. "I wasn't doing it for my career, or to… to save you or whatever it is you were so offended by. This is why I avoid this behavior. It was something simple and hedonistic. Look what it has turned into – three days of us auguring about how we _feel_ about it and a whole slew of rumors I have to somehow convince my superiors are not true."

She was quiet for a few moments, then stood, flattening the skirt of her loosely fitted dress over her thighs. He wasn't sure why she still wore it. It was barely even a dress – more of a bag with armholes and a neck hole. Not that the First Order issue clothing they were able to give to her fit any better. She has such an unusually lanky, thin build she was going to need most things specially made.

"That is a pity. Will you please stand?"

"Hm? What? No. Why?"

"Because I need you to stand."

"Why would you need that?"

She sighed, looking very irritated. "Just stand. Please."

He did, wondering what the hell she was thinking. "Okay. What is it you need me to do now?"

She takes a step toward him and brushed her lips against his neck, "Nothing , really. It is just difficult for me to locate you when you're sitting." She kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Oni… what are you doing?"

"It would be sad for you to have to deal with all these rumors and not at the very least get something out of it… I am sorry to have complicated things."

"You're not really making them any less complicated doing this." He accepted a little peck on the lips from her, but hesitated to touch her.

"I know… will you sit?"

He lowered himself back into the chair and she followed, her lips trailing his jawline, and crawled into his lap.

"Will you let me explain myself?"

"That may be a great help to me."

She continued, squeezing in breathy sentences between kisses, "As I mentioned, I am not used to anything so… affectionate."

"If that's what you're looking for I'm afraid…"

"No. It is not. I am not looking for anything. But you cannot deny that there is something very… intense? Personal? About these encounters. Whether or not you want it to be, this is not just sex."

"Oni…"

"I am not asking for more. I am simply stating what I see. There is something about you that draws me to you, and I think you must feel the same. You absolutely must. I cannot imagine that there aren't women in your organization throwing themselves at you… you are young, intelligent, and powerful. You would be… _advantageous_ for any of them."

He'd certainly dealt with the attention before. "There have been offers. I just choose to allot my time differently."

"Yes, but that is just it, no? You deny offers from women who would be advantageous to you and choose to pursue some… what did your father call me? A slave woman from god only knows where?" He felt her breath as she laughed against his neck.

He'd been asking himself the exact question for some time, and hadn't found a good answer to it yet. "I… there are certainly things about you that I find quite attractive. Far more attractive than any of the other prospects I've had."

"Oh?" She unbuttoned his uniform jacket, running her fingers against his skin. "Like what?"

He wanted to laugh when it occurred to him – she wasn't asking for any reason other than wanting her ego stroked. He could comply with that. "There's a multitude of things…" He drew her lips to his and kissed her. "I have a sneaking suspicion you may be one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. That is inordinately attractive."

"Mmm…" She went back to working on his jacket, finishing off the buttons and sliding it off his shoulders.

"And you're clever… even in incredibly high pressure situations. Not to mention gritty – that's something far too many people overlook. I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything different considering what you've lived through, but it is still impressive."

She kissed his lips, "Oh. I like that one."

He laughed a little and wove his fingers into her hair, pulling her in for another kiss. "Do you know what the most fascinating thing is to me? It's so insanely attractive to me and I have no idea why. I've never noticed the trait in other women before. It's not something I really… pay attention to."

"Hm?"

"You're happy."

She frowned a little.

"Maybe you aren't really, but you certainly come across that way. And it's the most amazingly beautiful thing to me. To watch you smile and joke around interacting with my troopers when just a few days ago you were chained to a chair for most of your days, when you've been robbed of your ability to see… Despite all the unreasonable things that have happened to you, you seem happy."

She leaned in and pecked his lips, "That is… interesting."

"Are you happy?"

"Sometimes."

He dragged his fingers up the back of her bare thigh to the hem of her dress. Her lips shuttered against him. "That… when you do that… I am happy when you do that."

"Hm? Do what?" He kissed her.

She pressed his hand against her thigh, "That… I like… I like the way you touch me."

He curled his fingers and rubbed them against the inside of her thigh and she seemed to almost melt into him, kissing him hard. He was pleasantly turned on by her habit of almost obsessively touching him when they kissed, but for some reason it hadn't occurred to him that she probably wanted that more than anything.

He ran his hand up her side, pushing the skirt of her dress up over her hip, and she ground her hip into him, begging for more contact.

"You're teasing me."

"It's your own fault… you're too damn beautiful when you get like this." He pulled the dress off over her head and grabbed her bare sides, pulling her closer. Her skin was incredibly soft and a little cold, probably from the bath. Her undergarments were like everything else about her – misplaced and unflattering on anyone else, but oddly suited to her. They were First Order issue; he was surprised they could find anything suited for her slim figure. Practical and athletic, he'd seen them on women before but somehow she was the first one he found them attractive on.

He lifted her and moved her onto his bed, crawling on top of her, running his hands over every bit of her. Her back arched and she rifled her fingers into his hair, pulling him down onto her. She grabbed at his undershirt, trying to tear it off over his head. "I like… your skin. Let me feel more…"

He complied, pulling the shirt off all the way, and she started trying to undo his trousers. "Oni…" He smirked against her neck, a little delighted by how desperate she was. "Calm down. You can take your time."

She paused, "You want me to slow down?" She sounded almost brokenhearted over the idea.

He nibbled at the skin of her neck to tell her it was okay. "I'd just prefer you don't destroy my trousers trying to tear them off."

"Mmm…" She brought her knees up, trailing them along his sides. He'd noticed her long legs before, but from this angle they seemed even more fantastic. "You should reconsider your priorities."

Her legs wrapped around him tightly and she flipped them, so she was sitting on top of him and he was pinned to the bed. He wasn't quite expecting it – she was stronger than he expected. She leaned back and felt for his now throbbing erection, rubbing it through his trousers.

"I want to feel it… you…"

The way she said it – with her smoky voice shaking a little – he couldn't possibly deny her any longer.


	6. Chapter 6

She kissed his jawline, and then rose from the bed, "You may have to help me find my items…"

They were strewn across the floor.

He inhaled deeply, pushing himself upright and feeling a little dizzy. "Already?"

"Hm?" She looked confused.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her back onto the bed with him, "I sort of don't want you dressed yet…"

She wiggled happily under his touch, "Oh? I thought we were finished… Your stamina is… shocking. I am quite tired. I don't think I can go for a third time…"

He kissed her neck, "No, no. I certainly don't have the energy for that again. We don't have to… I just thought you might want to stay."

She looked terribly confused. "Why?"

He felt at least as confused as she looked.

"Just…" He pulled her back all the way, wrapping himself around her. "Just stay, okay?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Ah… okay."

"Is this strange to you?"

"Yes. Very."

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." He trailed his fingers over her ribs.

"Mmm…" Her eyes were closed, a little smile painted on her face. "If you keep doing that with your hands I'll stay."

"I can manage that."

"Is this… normal?"

"Laying around like this? Yes, for the most part."

She was quiet for a moment. "I don't think that's what I meant, but that is good to know."

There was a comforting blanket of silence for a few moments.

"I have a question for you."

"Hm?" He was just on the edge of sleep.

She rolled over, facing him. "Why did you get such terrible marks in that languages class?"

He laughed. "In all honesty, I'm terrible with languages."

The corners of her eyes wrinkled when she smiled, "Really? Of all things for you to be terrible at… I'd have thought you'd be quick with that."

"Not at all. What makes you think that?"

"Ah… well you said your father was an Imperial officer. Most of them spoke multiple languages, no?"

"Not really."

"Oh… Really? I would think that would be a useful skill for anyone in such a career field. I guess I assumed he knew at least a few languages and taught them to you."

He played with her hair for a moment. "I have a question for you. Do you miss your home?"

"I miss people, not places."

He pressed his lips into her hair. This was something he couldn't identify with. "We may be able to find them. Your family. We have great resources in the region. Just… say the word and I will have someone look into it."

She was quiet. "There was a bombing in my home city before I was taken. The city was leveled. I walked around for some time trying to find my mother... anyone... but there were no other people. My mother is gone."

He woke hours later to an odd noise… It took him a moment to realize it was her, curled into his arms. For a moment, he thought she was stuttering, but realized quickly she was speaking in another language. It was sort of dense sounding and vaguely familiar to him.

Still in a sleepy stupor, he watched her muttering in her sleep. There was something so serene about the way she looked, eyelashes fluttering a little as she went on about whatever she was dreaming about.

After a few moments of watching her lips, he decided to kiss her. Her lips looked pretty and soft, and they didn't disappoint.

"Mmm…" The disturbance woke her, and for a moment she seemed confused. "Did I sleep here?"

"Yes, I'm afraid you did."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

He kissed her again. Of course this complicated things. It complicated things that were already so vastly overcomplicated to begin with… He hadn't meant for her to fall asleep here. It had just… happened. "Don't be sorry. This is… nice. Really."

She pushed herself upright, the sheet falling from her bare figure. "But… Someone will surely see me leave now."

He sincerely wanted to pull her back down next to him. He didn't. He pushed himself upright as well and stood from the bed, picking up the clothing strewn across the floor. "Yes. You can't leave now. It would be far too suspicious. I do need to get to work though…"

She frowned, "Have I made you late?"

"No. Not yet at least. But I do need to shower. Do you mind… staying here? For a few hours at least? Shower before you leave – people will just think you've snuck into my quarters mid day for a bath."

"I will."

He rushed into the bathroom and showered quickly, washing any residue of her away. It was foolish to have fallen asleep. It opened them both up to far more risk. She'd fallen asleep lying next to him, with his arm under her neck, and he hadn't wanted to move her. In part because he didn't want to wake her because she'd mentioned having trouble sleeping lately, and in part because the weight of her body felt so comfortable next to his.

But it was foolish.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the wash, drying himself and returning to the main room. She was still in the bed, wrapped in the sheet once more.

"Where is my clothing?"

He almost started laughing when he realized he'd gone out of his way to pick them up, but hadn't told her where she could find them. He grabbed her dress and undergarments and handed them to her. "You'll stay here for awhile before leaving?"

"Yes." She smiled at him, "I will be cautious. This can affect both of us adversely, remember."

He had an odd urge to kiss her before he left. He didn't.

He didn't see her for the remainder of the day, or any of the following day. He had no idea how she just seemed to disappear for days at a time on such a small ship, but he was far too busy to investigate.

It was only minutes after he'd collapsed into bed the following day that his door slid open.

So much for his lecture about knocking first.

"Oni… what are you…"

She didn't say anything, rather she just crawled into his bed and curled into his arms, her nose tucked into his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

He felt her eyelashes blink against his neck. "Yes."

"Where have you been?"

"Around."

"I haven't seen you."

"I didn't want you to."

"Why?"

Her eyelashes blinked a few more times. "I needed to think. About… this."

"I've been trying to not… overcomplicate this. To think about it too much."

"I have failed miserably at that."

"I'm afraid I have as well."

Her eyelashes fluttered. "I do not want to seem as though I am… falling for someone who rescued me."

He was quiet for a moment. "Is that how you see it? It hasn't occurred to me that I ever rescued you. If anything, you saved me and my crew. Twice."

"It would make me appear… needy and unstable to the people in your organization."

"They have no reason to know."

"But if they find out…"

"We should be cautious."

"Yes."

She looked incredibly nervous sitting on the opposite side of his desk.

"Oni… you will be okay. The worst thing you can do right now is panic."

"I'm not panicking." She snapped at him.

"You're nervous. Your hands are shaking, aren't they?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Yes, I'm nervous, okay? Can you blame me? I can hide it out there. Just let me be for a few moments."

The ship bumped as it touched down and she let out a nearly inaudible, miserable noise.

He stood and went to her, kissing her. "What are you so nervous about? Today is easy."

She cocked her head to the side, "Is it?"

"Yes. All you have to do today is go see a tailor to have them make you something more…" he looked over her boxy, sorry excuse for a dress. "More suitable."

He could hear his men preparing final landing procedures outside his door. "We need to go out there now. You will be okay?"

"Yes." She smiled at him, still looking like she might be panicking behind the smile. "You forget what I come from. I am good at hiding my thoughts."

He hoped that was true. She wasn't going to fair well if she looked like this the entire time. He wrapped her hand in his, "Come. Let's go then."

She stood and pulled her hand from his, and the office door opened.

He exited before her, going to the ship's entrance. She went to the med bay, most likely seeking out the Sebbie, who she seemed to have formed a fast friendship with. Hux made arrangements with him the day prior – Sebbie would help her off the ship and keep watch of her until Hux was able to come get her.

The door wheezed open before him and he exited, flanked by troopers as was protocol. His commanding officer was waiting.

"Commander. It's good to see you and all your men back safely."

"Thank you, sir. Shall we discuss matters further in your office?"

His eyes scanned the ship as others began to exit. "I am very curious to meet this individual we will be evaluating tomorrow."

"With all due respect, sir, she's hardly presentable at the moment. I believe she needs a full exam from our medical team before you meet her, in addition to some more suitable attire."

"Oh?" He turned and Hux followed, "Is she… unusual? Nothing we had to offer fit her?"

"She's just quite thin, most likely from a poor diet. Nothing we have will stay on her."

"Ah… I see. Well I suppose I will just have to wait then. I do hope, Commander, that you are using your best judgment when it comes to this ordeal." He glanced to Hux from the corner of his eye, "I trust you understand that you are putting your reputation at stake."

"Yes, sir. I would not be making this recommendation if I did not believe it was a highly advisable action for the Order."

"Right. Well, we should review what you can expect tomorrow." He welcomed Hux into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Hux reamained standing.

"I would appreciate that, sir. I've already gone over the list of those slated to be present…"

"Yes, I'm afraid that list has changed slightly. We've added another."

"Oh? Who will it be?"

"The apprentice of the Supreme Leader will be there…"

Hux blinked. "That… Kylo Ren? _Why_?" He tried not to sound completely appalled, but he couldn't really help himself.

"His abilities may lend some insight. We think his presence is appropriate."

His abilities… Hux had seen his abilities and been more or less unimpressed. Supposedly he had "mind reading abilities". Hux had seen the individuals sent to suffer the man's "abilities". They'd all been left bumbling shells of their prior selves. Hux had half a mind to think that this Kylo Ren couldn't actually read minds, he just tortured the truth out of people. It was all rather dirty and unsophisticated.

Supposedly, the man claimed he could pick up on thoughts and intentions without leaving his subject mutilated. Hux suspected this was more of an educated guessing game. He was likely just good at reading people.

"Right… well I suppose I have no say in the matter. We will make do with whatever circumstances are presented."

"As you should. I am sure you're prepared with the sort of questions to expect? They will want to know who she is, where she comes from, how her prior living conditions have affected her… anything on her medical reports will be questioned. And, of course, we will want to know why she desires to join the First Order."

"Of course. She will be properly prepared."

"I do hope so." He stood, "Now, I am sure you are exhausted from your travels and would like some time to catch up on matters here. For now, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

As Hux turned to leave he spoke again, "One last thing, Commander."

"Yes?"

"If I may advise on a personal level, I suggest you speak with your father at some point today."

Hux hesitated, gathering himself. He wanted to spit back at the man – that matter was his to deal with on his own, and no, he did not need personal advice. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

He left quickly.

Hux attended to a few various matters before making his way to Brendol's office, hours after they'd landed.

Brendol leaned back in his seat, frowning when Hux entered. "Good. You're here."

"Yes. My superior advised that I come see you."

"He advised well." Brendol paused. "I stopped by your ship shortly after you landed, I was hoping to catch you but you had already left with him. I did, however, catch a glimpse of that…whatever she is that you're suggesting we let into the Order."

"I would encourage you to look past her appearance and to her abilities. They will speak for themselves."

"I can't decide if I'm more repulsed with your suggestion we allow her into the Order or with the fact that you're sleeping with her."

Hux sighed. "As I've tried to stress before, that is just a rumor…"

Brendol looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I have been around long enough to know that these sort of rumors are always based it some sort of truth."

"I suppose you will never believe me then."

The elder Hux leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "I'll also remind you that you are my son and I can tell when you're lying." He shook his head, "It's completely baffling to me. You must have other options, but I suppose stressful circumstances can lead to poor decisions, even in the best of men. I trust that you've gotten it out of your system – the affair is over?"

Hux didn't respond. A dense silence fell over the room. Brendol did not look happy.

There was a knock at the door. The voice of Brendol's assistant came from the other side, "Sir… I'm sorry, Sloane is here with a guest, she would like to speak with you."

Sloane. Thank the stars for that woman. He suspected she had someone watching his father's office at all times to see when Brendol called his son to see him, solely so she could interrupt whatever was going on. An old habit from his younger days when she had been something of a guardian to him.

Brendol rubbed his face and stood, going to the door. "Not now, Serrell..." He opened the door.

Serrell, a short young woman with neat blonde hair pulled back into a bun, smiled at him somewhat nervously. Sloane stood next to her, a completely self-assured expression on her face. Standing directly behind the assistant, shoulders pinched back with a sort of knowing smile on his face, was a very recognizable man Hux had never actually seen before. He'd only ever heard rumors. But he was just like they said – blue skin and striking red eyes that nearly appeared to glow.

His father stuttered audibly, "Th… Thrawn. Oh. Hello. It's a surprise to see you."

The man smiled in a way that made Hux suspect he was already quite aware of Brendol's opinion of him. His father had always been a very traditional Imperial.

"Yes, I'm here on behalf of the Ascendancy to assess a potential alliance between the First Order and my people. I'm sorry to not have been able to give you notice. Sloane has been telling me about your stormtrooper program, we thought speaking with you directly might lend some better insights. I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important?" He glanced to the younger Hux.

"Not at all. Do come in." Brendol stepped to the side and allowed them to enter.

"Commander, you should stay." Sloane was smart enough to make the assertion before his father could kick him out. "These conversations are good for our brightest young leaders to take part in." She nodded to Thrawn, "Admiral, I have you met Brendol's son before?"

"I'm afraid not." He bowed his head politely, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Hux saluted the man, "It's an honor to meet you, sir." He did mean that sincerely. Admiral Thrawn was a legend in the days of the Empire.

Oddly enough, his father had never been a huge fan of Thrawn. He'd always insisted that allowing outsiders into the Empire created a sort of instability that lead to its demise. For obvious reasons, he considered Thrawn an outsider.

As a young boy, Hux had agreed with his father. It wasn't until he was in his early teens, devouring any literature he could find related to the Empire and military tactics, that he'd realized his father was entirely incorrect. In Hux's well-read opinion, Thrawn was one of the most effective Grand Admirals the Empire ever saw. The man was nothing short of brilliant when it came to tactics, and had a remarkable amount of foresight.

Thrawn returned the salute. "I've heard a good deal about you." Hux was certain he meant through Sloane. "The Order's leadership says you have a very promising future."

"Thank you, sir. My only aim is to further our cause."

"Good man. True loyalty is a difficult trait to come by."

Sloane had an odd little half-smile on her face. "Brendol, we've been reviewing some of your training programs for this stormtrooper program you've implemented and the Admiral has a few questions."

Brendol was doing his best to not let his irritation show. He wasn't fond of anyone in this room other than himself. "Certainly, I'll be happy to answer what I can."

"You've been acquiring these troopers from various planets, am I correct?" Thrawn asked. His tone was almost hypnotic, low and even, overlaid with a hum.

"Yes, you are correct."

"And you only adopt young ones into the program?"

"Nobody over the age of five."

"It is an interesting program. I'm a little concerned about potential instability in the ones that are adopted at an older age though. I do believe that by the age of five, a child is old enough to have memory of family members, and of their home. Certainly, in touring your facilities I've heard a good deal of older ones with various accents from around the galaxy, and noticed a few mannerisms unique to foreign areas such as odd greetings and whatnot…"

Hux could practically hear his father's thoughts: _This critique is coming from Thrawn of all people?_ The man was bright blue and still, and despite spending a great many years with the Empire, spoke accented Basic.

"We have controlled for such memories by providing extra simulation time for the older ones."

Thrawn inhaled deeply, "My concern here is that if these people are not conforming properly, the results could be disastrous and you may not know until years down the road. Foresight is of the utmost importance in this matter."

"It is. And I do understand your concerns. But I believe we have accounted for this issue."

"The troopers are a unique case, I think. A sort of cultural uniformity is absolutely necessary. They depend so heavily on one another in extreme situations that miscommunications due to various backgrounds could be disastrous. And they could easily lead to factions within your troops." He turned to Hux. "What do you think of this matter?"

Hux glanced at his father, who nodded to him. The nod was _not_ an okay to say what he thought. It is an okay to say what he thought within the parameters that he was championing his father's program.

"While I understand your concern, Admiral, I do think that a certain, very small, controlled, and closely monitored level of variance within the troops is highly important. I believe it fosters a certain amount of original thought, which is necessary for troops."

Thrawn blinked at him and nodded slowly. "That is certainly a fair point, I would say. So you believe that the older recruits are being properly integrated?"

 _No_. He'd spoken with his father regarding this issue several times. Five was too old. "I'm undecided on the matter, I don't think I have enough information." He paused, catching the look on his father's face. When he was a boy, that look would have terrified him. It still made him uneasy. "You'll have to forgive me for dismissing myself, I just returned from a rather testing mission and have an important meeting tomorrow I need to prepare for."

Thrawn nodded slowly, then looked to Brendol. "You raised him well. Very few will admit when they don't have the information to make an educated assessment. I'm vaguely curious – what is this mission you just returned from?"

"Tracking down a smuggler who had attacked and looted one of our transport ships. The mission was, overall, a success, however my men ended up under fire twice."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"I meant to send you a message later today to see how you and your crew are recovering." Sloane said.

Hux shook his head quickly, "My entire crew was able to return safely, I do consider that a victory."

"That is always a victory, in some sense." Thrawn nodded. "Is your meeting tomorrow an investigation of the incident?"

It would make sense for Thrawn to come to the conclusion that Hux may be under investigation if his men came under fire twice on his watch. "No, sir. There were some… extenuating circumstances that my superiors are interested in looking into."

"Oh?"

"Hm." Sloane nodded, "I will be present at the hearing tomorrow, Commander. I'm very curious about this mission."

Hux hesitated. Brendol did not look pleased with the direction the conversation was going in. "Yes, an outside individual saved me and my troopers twice. They are interested in speaking with her."

"Really? You think this individual is a valuable resource?"

 _More like invaluable_ , he thought. "Yes, sir. I do."

He couldn't get a read off Sloane in regard to the situation. "Commander. You are dismissed…" She paused and looked at Brendol, "That is, if your father is done speaking with you as well." She added the last thought with a degree of gloating. She was more of a parent to him than Brendol ever had been. Brendol knew this.

Brendol gave a short nod. Hux hurried out, almost feeling a bit star struck to have spoken with Thrawn himself.


	7. Chapter 7

She stayed with Sebbie that evening, and Hux went to retrieve her shortly before their meeting.

The tailor, he had to admit, did very well. She was dressed in a pair of slim fitted black pants and a structured, tunic-length jacket. It fit her very well. And it somehow managed to make her legs look even longer.

Her usually wavy hair was tamed and pushed back from her face.

She looked utterly stunning.

He caught Sebbie smirking at him. "She looks like she belongs here, yeah?"

Hux snapped his jaw shut, "Yes, she looks appropriate. Let's go, Oni."

They walked to their destination in silence for some time. Finally, he spoke. "You don't look nervous today."

"I'm pretty sure this jacket is armor… Does it look like armor? It feels like armor."

"It does. A little. Maybe figuratively. It fits you well."

"I suppose that is exactly what I need."

"You're confident in everything we've rehearsed?"

"Yes. We have gone over this so many times. Yes."

"I forgot to tell you yesterday. There's going to be another person present in the interview. He's…" Hux frowned. How was he supposed to accurately describe Kylo Ren? "He's not part of the Order. He works under the Supreme Leader. An apprentice of sorts. His name is Kylo Ren."

"And… You do not like him?"

"Was my tone that obvious?"

She laughed, "Yes. Very obvious. Why will he be there if he is not part of your organization?"

Hux shook his head, "Honestly, I don't really know. He's a force user, so they think they need him there for his abilities…"

"A… Force user?"

"Yes… Are you not familiar?"

"No. What is that?"

Hux shook his head again. "I may be the worst person to ask that to. It's this sort of mystical thing… He claims he can read minds."

"Oh?" A smile twitched on the corner of her mouth. "Your organization is lead by a man with mind reading assistants?"

Hux sighed. "Unfortunately I don't have more time to explain." They were almost to the room. A trooper was waiting outside for them. "We can discuss this further afterward."

The trooper greeted them and took them into the room. His superiors – and Kylo Ren – were all already seated. His father was seated in the front, closest to the door. Ren was seated in the far corner, looking abnormally disgruntled.

Hux couldn't quite understand how the man had never been required to maintain a decently groomed hairstyle.

Much to Hux's surprise, Ren was glaring at two additional individuals - Hux had no idea they would be present. Thrawn was seated in the center back, behind everyone else, along with a man who he could only assume was his famed assistant, Eli Vanto. Thrawn's fingers were laced together, hiding his mouth as he leaned forward on the desk in front of him, watching the two of them closely. He had something yellowish draped across his shoulders – it took Hux a few moments to realize it was some sort of reptilian creature.

Hux had heard the man carted around a certain type of creature that could repel the Force. It would explain Ren's surly expression.

Thrawn and Vanto had not been slated to appear. Why would they? They weren't even part of the Order.

It struck Hux that Thrawn's presence may be the best thing they had working in their favor. For obvious reasons, he won't take her physical appearance into mind. And he was notoriously fond of people who thought creatively, which she seemed to have down to an art. Maybe Thrawn had enough sway with the others that he could tip the scales in favor of Oni.

Graciously, the trooper guided her to her seat. Hux didn't want to be seen touching her if it could be avoided. The more professionally oriented their relationship appeared, the better.

He took his seat, next to hers, on display for the others.

"I suppose we shall begin then," Winig stood once the trooper left. "Everyone present has read the official account of the events, however we would like you, Miss, to begin by telling us your version of the events you participated in. We may need to pause you for questions throughout. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

He was impressed, so far, by how she was presenting herself. She sat straight, shoulders pinched back professionally, with an emotionless expression on her face. One thing was bothering him – she kept her eyes downcast, her lids heavy over her eyes. He'd noticed her tendency of doing this. She was hiding her eyes. Though, admittedly, that might be wise considering their audience.

"Commander," Winig addressed him. "We may also ask you to answer a few questions."

"Of course."

"Let's begin then. If you wouldn't mind, Miss, please state your full name for us before you begin your account."

"My name is Oni Sebai."

"Thank you. You can begin."

Hux was slightly disappointed that he hadn't been provided any opportunity to explain Thrawn's presence to her. Nobody even made an effort to mention his presence; she'd be able to see their heat signatures, but wouldn't know who they were.

She recounted the events, from her point of view. Sloane, Winig, and Merkl stopped her frequently to ask questions. His father asked a few. Ren seemed intensely focused on her, and didn't say a word. Thrawn and Vanto only watched. He was actually happy she couldn't see – Thrawn looked incredibly intimidating - motionless, his fingers still woven together, red eyes watching her closely.

She concluded her account, which mirrored his very closely but included far more details about how she went about achieving the technological feats that saved them on both occasions.

"Forgive me for being crass," Brendol said after she finished, looking to the other four First Order officers, "But I think we all find your story a little… unbelievable. To do something so intense in such an environment would be… impossible."

She squinted a little, almost looking annoyed. "I have been looking at nothing but numbers for nearly two decades. I can assure you, everything I claim is quite possible. Circumstances have made me efficient."

"And we are just to… believe that?"

She blinked a few times. "May I ask you a question?"

Brendol, along with the others, look taken aback.

"Yes. Ask."

"What is your name?"

None of them, of course, had bothered to introduce themselves. They all wore name badges, which had served them well enough. And obviously none of them felt the need to cater to her disability.

"Admiral Hux."

"I see. You are the Commander's father then? I was told you would be in the room, I just couldn't be sure which voice was yours."

"You haven't answered my question. Are we just to believe you are capable of these things?"

"Can I ask you another question?"

That look. Again.

"Actually, any of you can answer. How confident are you in the security of your organization's technological systems? Say, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being complete confidence."

"Our people are exceptionally trained and dedicated. I have complete confidence." Brendol said.

Hux wanted to groan. His father did not know how quickly he'd be eating those words.

"I would agree with that," Sloane added.

Hux could hear her eyes whirring quietly next to him. He hoped she knew to keep this under control.

"Brendol."

Brendol blinked at her.

"That is your first name. Brendol. Brendol Prentice Hux. Age 57... Oh but your birthday was just 17 days ago. Happy belated birthday. I hope you celebrated. Let's see what else your file says here... You are in charge of the Stormtrooper training program. Seems you've done a good job of it. All accounts in your profile say so, and from what I saw your men are well trained and behave admirably. Oh… what else, what else is in here… Ah. Spouse."

"That's enough." Brendol cut her off sharply, but she didn't take the queue.

"Iona Nureen Hux, formerly Pike, age…"

As subtly as possible, Hux reached over and dug his fingers into her side. She stopped abruptly, snapping her jaw shut. She recovered quickly, "Well, I do assume I have gotten my point across. Your securities on personnel files are… well with all due respect, they are laughable. Honestly, most of your systems are. I could, quite easily, open any electronically controlled door in this facility."

The door to the room opened and closed several times.

"See? Can you imagine what would happen if I were malicious enough to go for your prison cell doors? Or would you prefer that I demonstrate that as well?"

His father glowered at her for a few moments. No doubt he was utterly livid with the very public display she'd made of his personal information. "No. I believe you've made your point."

Hux cleared his throat, "You have, I assume, gathered accounts of the incidents in question from every one of my troopers? Does that, coupled with my report and what she's just displayed, serve as sufficient proof of her abilities?"

Winig inhaled deeply, "I do think I am convinced that she does, at the very least, possess unusual skills. If not remarkable."

"I am curious," his father added, "how a young woman like yourself ends up as a tech controller rather than being sold into any of the more _common_ placements. Or were you assigned multiple duties?"

She opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again. She thought for a moment, a bitter little smirk on her face. He supposed she found it ironic that his father was the one to bring this subject up. He didn't think it was ironic at all – it was entirely what he was expecting.

"You must think I am terribly odd looking with," she motioned to her eyes, "with these. My first owner thought the same thing. I was spared the fate of being sold for my body, in part because I look like I have no eyes and, as I am told, I look rather frightening."

"Were you born into your position, or were you born free?" Sloane asked. She saw what his father was digging at, and she didn't care for it.

"Free, sir. Your name?" She paused. "If you don't mind?"

"Grand Admiral Sloane. I take it then, that you were taken from your family?"

"Yes. I was five when I was taken. My home planet was a small moon called Nivo."

"Yes, that was included in the Commander's report. I'm afraid very little is known of your home. It seems they are rather private people. Do you know why you were taken?"

"No. There was an attack of some sort. The building I was in collapsed. I managed to find my way out, and the city around me was in ruins. I went to find my mother… but everything was quite chaotic. This man found me… he said he would help, but instead he took me."

"I take it then, that you must have family still on Nivo. Do you not want to pursue seeing them before dedicating yourself to this organization?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I fear that my family was lost in the attack that leveled my home city. The devistation was severe."

"I take it then," Brendol spoke again, "That your bionics were implanted after you were taken?"

"Yes. The one that took me recognized my technological abilities and decided that I was worth more as a tech controller with these eyes than."

"You must have had fairly remarkable abilities prior to being taken, then."

"Yes. It was something I always had been interested in. I remember playing with datapads at a very young age, learning to manipulate them, learning their language."

"You must have come from a decently wealthy family if you had access to datapads," Sloane pointed out.

"I do not know that I would say wealthy, but we were not poor. Youth clouds my judgment of that detail."

"I'm curious to know about your family." Merkl said.

"My mother's name was Nev. She was an artist. A painter, primarily."

Hux hadn't heard this before, but it was a more than welcome surprise. He glanced to Thrawn – supposedly the man was an art collector. This could work in their favor.

Thrawn made absolutely no reaction.

"And your father?"

"My mother raised me on her own."

"Any siblings?"

She hesitated. "My mother was pregnant at the time of the bombing."

Hux vaguely wondered how none of this had come up in their conversations before. It seemed important.

"What constitutes your desire to join our organization?" Sloane asked.

"I believe it could be a mutually beneficial relationship. I am in need of a home and of a purpose once more. And this organization is clearly in need of higher security measures."

"So you feel no allegiance to our cause?"

"I am told that your cause is to bring order to the universe. I believe most are attracted to such an ideal, however given my history, I hope you can understand that I would desperately love to see less chaos in the galaxy. So yes, I suppose I do feel a fierce, deeply held allegiance to your cause."

This was a better answer than they had rehearsed. He was quite happy with it.

The questioning continued for about another hour, with Ren continuing to silently bore holes into them with his dark eyes, and Thrawn watching with his fingers woven in the back of room.

"I believe we are done questioning the young lady." Sloane nodded to Oni. "We will ask you to leave now, Miss Sebai. Commander, please stay to finish this discussion with us."

Oni stood and flattened the skirt of her tunic over her thighs, bowing her head slightly to the others, "Thank you all for your time. I do appreciate your consideration."

The door opened and she strode out.

Everyone looked slightly confused.

Brendol looked at him, a crease in his brow, "She cannot see, correct?"

"That is correct, she can only see undetailed heat signatures. She is quick to memorize the layout of rooms." He explained quickly.

Sloane looked to Ren, "What did you get from her?"

Ren was glaring fiercely at Thrawn, who hadn't as much as raised an eyebrow since he and Oni entered. Hux wanted to laugh. Ren's mind reading "abilities" would be rendered useless with the reptile on Thrawn's shoulders. He just sat through a three hour interview with nothing but his intuition to serve him.

"From what I could gather, she was truthful in everything she said."

Sloane frowned at Thrawn, "Must you have brought that thing in here? You've made Kylo Ren's presence virtually pointless."

Both Ren and Thrawn frowned at this. Thrawn reclined in the chair and the reptile curled its tail over his shoulder to avoid being pinched. Hux wondered if Thrawn ever felt ridiculous with the thing perched on his shoulders. He certainly looked ridiculous. Not to mention the creature seemed a little… dirty to Hux.

Thrawn inhaled, "I only brought her as insurance against any misbehavior from that one." He half-nodded to Ren. "She hasn't been emitting any Force-negating abilities for the majority of the interview, except a few odd moments when she acted up. If he couldn't gather any information from her then he isn't nearly as trained as he claims to be."

Ren looked like he wanted to tear the little creature in two, and possibly Thrawn along with it. "I read enough from her to know she's being honest. She is very confident in her abilities. And none of the thoughts I picked up on included vision, they were all… numbers and sounds mostly. Except the memory of her mother – I did get an image there."

"You will have to excuse me, but I'm afraid I do not understand what your issue is with this young woman." Thrawn said. "She was clearly clever enough to have identified gaping holes in your security systems. Beyond that, she's demonstrated a great deal of generosity toward you already by saving an entire crew twice."

"To be fair," Brendol pointed out, "One of those ambushes was entirely her fault. Had she not been present on that ship, they never would have been attacked."

"To be fair," Hux retorted, "none of us would have been alive for the second attack if it weren't for her."

Brendol added to everyone's doubts, "I do think that there is something to be said for a certain level of conformity in our ranks. She would, undoubtedly, not blend well."

"So I am clear, Admiral, you're speaking about her eyes?"

"Among other things, yes. Appearances do make a difference, and her eyes are… odd."

"Your issue is that her eyes look odd to you?" Thrawn said slowly. Slowly enough that the irony of saying such a thing in front of him came across quite clearly. "I'm afraid I don't understand that logic, but then I may be biased."

Hux saw his father scowl, his back to Thrawn.

"My primary concern," Sloane added her thoughts quickly, "Is that she may not be properly motivated for this. We are talking about a grown adult, raised outside the Empire and outside the Order, with little knowledge of us or our history, joining our organization. I want to be sure that her motivations are correct before approving anything."

"Then I am curious," Thrawn said, "Knowing what you all know now, would you approve allowing her into the Order?"

Both Merkl and Brendol agreed – absolutely not. Winig admitted that he would not, but would like some more time to consider the information she'd given them.

Shockingly, Thrawn looked to Ren, expecting an answer.

Ren looked just as surprised by the expectation as Hux was.

"She's obviously found some serious holes in your security. I think you'd be smart to at least work something out with her to get her fixing those issues."

And then Thrawn looked to Hux. "What do you think, Commander?"

"I think I've made my support of her clear."

"You have thus far, but I imagine some new information turned up during this questioning. Nothing you've learned has changed your stance?"

"If I can be blunt," Hux said, looking directly at Thrawn, "I have seen one of her programs nearly annihilate my ship and my crew along with it. She is quite intelligent. If she is not working for us, there is no doubt in my mind that one of our enemies will recruit her. If she is not our friend, she will be our enemy. And the thought of having her as an enemy is intimidating."

"So you think she would support another's cause just as easily?"

"I believe that her primary motivation is keeping her mind busy. She needs material. She needs to be learning and growing. If we do not offer information and experimentation to her, she will find it elsewhere. Trust me when I say this – we do not want her working against us."

Thrawn nodded slowly. "I have another question for you all then. If you would not approve letting her join the Order, would you approve of the Order giving her upgraded bionics so she can see?"

His father, Merkl, and Winig all said no.

Thrawn nodded again, in a very untelling way. "This has been enlightening. What is your plan of action for this case?"

Sloane replied. "I believe it would be best that all of us have a few days to consider. We will reconvene in one week and announce our decision."

Hux was the first to leave the room, and found Oni waiting for him outside, speaking with the trooper who had helped her to her seat.

"It went better than I thought," He admitted to her once the trooper left.

"Better than you thought? But not good?"

He inhaled deeply. Thrawn was the biggest thing working in their favor. And Sloane seemed undecided. If the two of them came out in her favor, they could easily sway Merkl and Winig in her favor. "It's too hard to tell right now. They all need time to process everything, to discuss among each other."

Behind her, he watched the others file out of the room. Thrawn and Vanto headed away from them, speaking with Sloane.

Brendol walked to them, looking down the bridge of his nose at her. "You seem to have made quite the impression in there."

"I do think that was the goal."

"It was not. You've failed to convince me you would be a benefit to the Order. If anything, you've displayed a complete lack of self control and no respect whatsoever for authority."

"I am sorry to have brought up your wife."

Brendol blinked at her.

"That is what you are upset about, no? Had I realized the circumstances I would not have mentioned her. I do not blame you for thinking less of me because of it. I am certain I would do the same. I am sorry."

Brendol's nostrils flared, "Hm." He turned on his heel to leave.

Oni suddenly went completely stiff, her black eyes little yellow face appeared over her shoulder.

"Wha… What is that?" Her voice was hoarse, terrified.

"Oh." Hux frowned at the disgusting little creature. It must have escaped from Thrawn. "It's the Grand Admiral's… It's a… Well that's irrelevant." He didn't want to scare her. She already looked terrified. The creature flicked its tongue. "Here, let me get it off you…" He reached for the thing and tried to pull it from her shoulder, but it had rather sharp looking claws that were sunken into her jacket. It hissed at him, snapping its jaw aggressively. Hux was just glad he was wearing gloves so he didn't actually have to touch it. "Oh this _stupid creature_ …"

Oni swatted over her shoulder. At first he thought she was trying to shoo the creature away, but he realized quickly she was trying to shoo him away.

"Don't. It is not stupid. Stop." She sounded almost offended. He took his hands off the hissing reptile and it turned its attention to her, nuzzling its nose against her fingers. It made a soft, purring noise.

"Huh…" She let out a breathy noise. She looked like she might start crying.

Behind him, he heard Thrawn and Vanto return, searching for the beast.

Vanto froze when he saw it perched on her shoulder, a horrified expression on his face. "Oh. Oh no. I'm sorry, ma'am…" He stepped forward to help get it off her.

Thrawn watched her curiously.

"You underestimate her because she looks different than you." Oni said quietly. "She's smart. She knows what you are saying." She scratched its head and curled her fingers around it gently. "It is time for you to go home."

The creature let its claws loose and she pulled it from her shoulder. She turned to Vanto and Thrawn and held it out.

Thrawn must have overheard what she said – he looked at her quietly for a moment. He gave a short nod, "Thank you," and took the yellow creature from her hands. It scurried up his arm to his shoulders. "I sometimes worry that she will wander off and forget where her home is. It is remarkable, I suppose home is something not easily forgotten."

He left with Vanto.

Oni had crease in her brow. "I… I need to go." She turned quickly.

He wasn't sure where she planned on going. There was no way she had memorized the layout of this facility yet. She probably couldn't even make it back down the hallway.

She didn't really make it much of anywhere. She stopped, gasping. She put a hand over her ribs, gasping again. "I need… Hux… I need to go…"

"Oni… what's wrong?" He put a hand on her arm, trying to calm her as she gasped. She grabbed his arm, and her knees gave out.

He tried to catch her, but she fell to her knees, still gasping for air. "I need…"

"Oni… Calm down. What's wrong?"

Tears started to flood down her face. "Hux… I need to go…"

He looked around quickly. The hallways were deserted. He knelt next to her, "Talk to me. Where do you need to go? What's wrong?"

Her fingers dug into his arm, trembling.

" _I need to go_."


	8. Chapter 8

Eli matched Thrawn's pace as they left the hearing. He walked slightly faster than usual – meaning he was deep in thought, concocting some sort of plan. Eli had known the man long enough to be able to tell.

It was interesting to him that Thrawn wanted to sit in on the hearing. It had nothing to do with them or the Chiss whatsoever. Thrawn had spoken little on the subject; Eli had assumed the tale of the girl's abilities had piqued his interest. Further, sitting in on the hearing gave them some valuable insight into how Sloane planned on running this operation.

"That certainly was interesting, sir. I'm glad you suggested we sit in on it."

Thrawn didn't respond.

"I hate to see something like this get political, but it seems at this point they won't give any aid to the girl, solely based off Hux's distaste for her." He frowned. "It's a pity. She seems to be a very talented individual stuck in a terrible situation."

Thrawn came to a sudden halt. "Where is K'tizo?"

Eli paused and looked up and down the hall. The little yellow bastard had gone missing. "It appears she must have snuck off." At some point he started wondering if it was in his records that he spent a good deal of official time chasing around Thrawn's ysalamiri. He might, at this point, be one of the galaxy's foremost yasalamir handlers. "She seemed to like that spot in the conference room, right next to the heater. Maybe she…"

Thrawn was already heading back toward the room.

He caught up to Thrawn just as they rounded the corner back. Surely enough, K'tizo hadn't made it far.

It was an unfortunate scene, really. Thrawn ought to stop carting those things around on official business. Not that Eli had any right to tell him that. The little creature had made it's way just outside the conference room, to the young woman, Oni, and made the very unfortunate decision to scale her.

K'tizo was used to being on Thrawn's shoulders for the most part. She'd tried to scale Eli and a few others at times; she liked the altitude.

The poor woman looked absolutely terrified, the color drained from her face and her black, false eyes wide. She wasn't even able to move – the younger Hux was attempting to pry the creature from her shoulders, but her claws were sunk into her jacket, making her impossible to remove.

"Oh… Oh no. I'm so sorry… She does this sometimes…" He went to help Hux.

Hux tugged at it again, "This stupid creature…"

The woman swatted at his hand, sidestepping him quickly. "It is not stupid. Don't say that."

Thrawn had always insisted to Vanto that the animals were smarter than he gave them credit for. K'tizo must understand something, because she nuzzled her nose into Oni's hand, purring softly.

Maybe Eli was just projecting his own thoughts about her situation, but Oni looked terribly sad.

"You underestimate it because it is different from you." The woman said quietly. "It is smart. It knows what you're saying. And it will comply if you are polite." She scratched it's nose, talking to the creature, "It is time for you to go home."

She drew it off her shoulders and held it out.

Thrawn took it from her. "Thank you. I sometimes worry that she will wander off and forget where her home is. It is remarkable, I suppose home is something not easily forgotten."

Eli glanced over his shoulder as he and Thrawn left with the creature, just before they turned the corner. The woman was facing away from them, but Hux looked at her with great concern.

He wondered how he could bring this one up with Thrawn. This was too much.

Eli buzzed the comm on Thrawn's quarters; he'd been in there most of the day since the yasalamir incident. Eli had been busy with other tasks, but Thrawn had sent a message for him a few moments prior.

"Commander Vanto here…"

"You may enter." Thrawn's usual calm voice answered back.

The door opened and Eli entered the quarters. Thrawn's quarters were exactly what he would have expected – very utility, nothing luxurious, other than the artwork hanging on the walls that he'd amassed as part of his personal collection over the years. Historical depictions, cultural icons, masks, statues, paintings…

Thrawn sat in a large chair, his datapad on the table before him.

"You called, sir?"

"Indeed. I have a matter to discuss with you…"

"If you don't mind, sir, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you as well."

"Certainly. We had best cover your items first."

Eli had known Thrawn longer than he'd known own wife. And he'd probably spent more time with Thrawn. How was it still this difficult to tell the man to behave himself? He inhaled deeply. "Sir, I do not mean to overstep the bounds of my rank when I discuss this, but it is my duty to advise you upon request, and when I deem it necessary. The yasalamir's behavior today was atrocious, she terrified that poor woman. I can't even imagine being in her place, unable to see and then have some unknown creature crawling on you. I would advise it is in your best interest to keep the yasalamir held in a private room when not around familiars."

"Your concern is understood. And appreciated."

"The second item I wanted to address is the woman herself. As it stands, it appears the First Order will wholly reject her and fail to lend her any aid. While this speaks a great deal to their priorities, I think it is in our best interests to garner her aid for our purposes. Of course, if I am wrong and the Order does agree to help her, she would be off limits to us. But if they act as I suspect they will, I suggest we approach her with an opportunity. I believe the Ascendancy stands to benefit a great deal from abilities like hers, and she has made it clear that she has no home, no people, at this point."

Thrawn blinked at him a few times. He nodded. "I suppose this carries well into the issue I paged you to discuss. I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course, sir. That is my job."

"It is of a personal nature." Thrawn said. "You have, for nearly three decades now, been my biggest ally, and my most trusted adviser. I believe that I can entrust you with a matter that is of the utmost importance to me."

A personal favor? He tried to remember if Thrawn had ever asked him a personal favor before. This was highly unusual. "Yes, yes, of course you can, sir."

"I need you to make a trip to Nivo, leaving as soon as you are able. You may take my personal commuter ship."

"Oh… absolutely. But, do we even have the coordinates for the moon?"

Thrawn nodded, "I have them."

"What exactly is the purpose of my trip? Are you attempting to find her family?"

"There will be no need for that. Her mother's name is Nev Sebai, I can give you her most probable locations."

"Oh? I had wondered when she mentioned her mother was an artist… she's well known, I take it?"

"On Nivo, she is quite well known. But the planet is very secluded, they don't interact with outsiders much."

"I take it you have been to Nivo, then? Have you actually met this Nev Sebai?"

In a bazaar display of irritation, Thrawn pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "Yes, yes I have. More than once. Several times, actually, but it feels as though it was a lifetime ago. I have not seen her in nearly 20 years. She stopped speaking to me when our child was killed." He paused. "Well, we were under the impression that she was killed."

Eli blinked at him several times. Suddenly, at all made sense. K'tizo behaving oddly around her. Her voice. The redness under her eyes. Thrawn's comment to her, about never forgetting where one's home was.

Oni. It was a Cheunh word. It meant "everything".

His head spun. "Oh… oh my god. She… Oni… she's your daughter?"

Thrawn inclined his head in what was his version of a nod.

"Wha… Do you mind if I take a seat?"

"Please do."

He nearly fell over into the chair. "You… When… How… When the hell did you find time to have a kid? How have I never caught onto this in so many years?"

"It is understandable that you never noticed. I intended to hide she and her mother, for obvious reasons. The only person who knew about Oni was Enos Worth, the medic who once worked with the Empire. At the time there were no documented Chiss/Human hybrids, I needed a trusted doctor to ensure the child was born healthy."

Enos had delivered Eli's child, a half-Chiss half-Human. Thrawn had casually recommended Eli speak with him when he had first told Thrawn of his wife's pregnancy. Eli hadn't thought anything of it at the time.

"Nev raised Oni on her own, for the most part. My duties prevented my presence as often as I would have liked. When she was five, there was a bombing in her home town. The building Oni was in collapsed. A few weeks later they found the body of a little girl in the rubble." He blinked a few times. "The girl was wearing Oni's coat. We believed her to be dead."

He looked at his long-time friend for a few quiet moments. "How… how did you manage to hide that all this was happening?" He couldn't even imagine the pain, Eli's daughter was the most precious thing in the universe to him. Thrawn obviously held Oni in the same regard, considering her namesake.

"I did not think I hid it well, however it was in the year the Empire truly began to crumble. I believe my grief may have been mistaken for fear of what was next."

Eli remembered that time very clearly now. He remembered Thrawn seeming… off… but had dismissed it as stress over the fast changes that were coming to the galaxy.

"I…" He braced himself for the incredibly human statement he was about to make. "I am so sorry I didn't realize you were suffering so terribly at the time."

"I intended to hide it, as I mentioned."

He ran his hand over his mouth. "I can absolutely go to Nivo to track down her mother. You just want me to let her know Oni has been found?"

Thrawn actually hesitated. "This… this is the part that is challenging. I would like you to see if she will agree to come here. Nivitians have very little contact with the outside galaxy; they have refused to develop or adopt any form of inter-planetary travel."

"I don't see an issue with that. I'm certain she will agree to come if she knows her daughter…"

"I know Nev quite well; if you tell her that her daughter is alive, she will not believe you. I would not have believed it. I didn't until I saw her, and even then I didn't fully believe until she recounted her story."

"You've tried contacting her mother directly?"

"I have." He frowned. "Nev largely blamed me for Oni's disappearance. She was very thorough about cutting me out of her life."

"What exactly was she blaming you for?"

"I had assured her, on multiple occasions, that my presence in their lives was secure. I took great precautions to not let my visits be tracked by outside sources. But… there was something I missed. The reason so few know of Nivo is because it is nearly impossible to access. It's surrounded by a very dangerous asteroid field. I found a path, but I never documented it. Somehow… the people who got to the moon… I believe they may have observed my route without my knowing and taken advantage of it." He paused. "I'm not sure Nev was wrong to blame me. I missed something, I lead them right to our daughter."

Eli thought Thrawn was likely wrong about this. The only things Thrawn ever missed were things that were impossible to know about.

"Well, I'm happy to go try to get her back here, but wouldn't it be easier to get Oni to go to Nivo?"

"Likely, but it will be some time before Oni is able to travel. I must tread cautiously from this point – my priority is keeping her safe until she is untangled from the grasp of the Order."

The dilemma slowly unfolded in his head. "You're concerned some of the First Order officers may put her safety at risk if they know she's your daughter."

"Half of them would want her dead or would attempt to use her as a bargaining chip. The other half would do anything to keep her within their organization. They cannot know her identity until she is safely aboard my ship."

"Have you spoken with her?"

"Other than the brief meeting in the hallway earlier? No. She knows I am here, and she is smart. She will keep quiet about this until there is a sufficient plan."

Eli nodded, getting to his feet. Somehow, in all their years together, this seemed like the most important mission Thrawn had ever given him. "Send me the coordinates, I'll be off right away."

"Thank you, Eli. I appreciate your assistance in this matter."

He waved a hand. "No. Don't. I'm certain if I were in your position you wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand. I'll return with her mother, I'll just need some time to convince her." He started for the door.

"There is one other factor." Thrawn added. "Nev has a son."

"Oh?" Eli looked back at him.

For some reason Thrawn seemed… small. "My son."

"Oh." Thank god he was going to have a few days to spend in a ship trying to process this. Thrawn had two kids and he'd known nothing about it?

"She was pregnant with him at the time Oni was taken. I know very little of the boy; Nev made it very clear that she did not want me involved with him, for his own safety. The boy is welcome to come along if his mother approves, but if she does not wish for him to be present please do not press. I wish to respect their desires."

The boy. He kept referring to him as "the boy".

He was almost afraid to ask - it seemed like the question might be twisting the knife in his wound. "You don't know his name?"

Thrawn shook his head. "I do not. Nev did not wish for me to know, and it seemed… it seemed like a detail that would only make me more attached to something that was not mine to have."


	9. Chapter 9

Something clearly disturbed Oni to the core – she was distant and quiet the rest of the day after the questioning. He concluded that it must be a multitude of issues that have built up over the past few weeks – her newfound freedom, the pressure of the interview, whatever was happening between the two of them, and the little yellow creature that must have scared her. Though that whole incident was odd beyond Hux's understanding. Hux wanted to take her back to his quarters, to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay, that he would see to it that she was taken care of. Unfortunately, he was certain they were being watched very closely at this point. It was far too much of a risk.

Sebbie watched after her as she made her way back to the spare room he'd provided her, her feet dragging. "That bad?"

He dropped his voice, "I don't entirely know what's wrong with her at the moment. I think she's just overwhelmed. She had something of a meltdown right after the meeting adjourned…"

"Hm…" He looked at the door to his spare room, where she was staying. "Did you want to… maybe take her to your place for a few hours?"

Hux looked at him. Sebbie knew. Of course he knew. And Hux was certain he could trust the man to be discrete with what he knew. But they'd never discussed the matter. Some things were best never spoken of.

"No."

Sebbie shook his head quickly. "Of course, of course. My apologies."

Hux scratched his nose, "I am certain they are watching her very closely. We can't be seen… We have to be cautious."

"Right. I understand. I have tomorrow off, so I can keep an eye on her."

Hux nodded. "Thank you. I'll be by tomorrow to check on her."

He finished his work late the next evening and went straight to Sebbie's quarters. Sebbie opened the door and motioned Hux in, closing the door quickly. He looked at Hux with raised eyebrows.

"Is she okay?" His expression made Hux nervous.

Sebbie inhaled deeply. "She's in the room. She's been there all day."

"Has she said much?"

"Barely anything. She needs… you need…" He shook his head, "Look, I have some errands to run…" He looked at Hux hard, "I'm going to be gone for a few hours. You should stay and watch her." He nodded. "Yes?"

Hux was grateful for the thought, "Yes that seems like a good idea."

Sebastian checked the time, "I'll be back in… two hours."

He nodded, making his way back to her room, "Thank you."

She was sitting on the bed, her back resting against the headboard with her knees to her chest.

"Sebastian tells me you've been quiet all day."

"Oh. Hello. Yes." She turned her face, resting her cheekbone on her knees. "I am okay. I just… I have a lot to think about."

"You were very shaken yesterday. What happened?"

"Hm. I'm sorry about my… misbehavior. I was quite overwhelmed by everything that has happened."

"Well I certainly can't criticize you for being overwhelmed… You've been through a lot in the past few weeks." He paused. "Can I sit with you?"

"You do not need to ask. Of course."

He took a seat next to her and kissed the edge of her mouth, "I'm concerned about you."

"I am okay."

"If I can be frank, you don't seem okay."

"I will be okay."

"Was it Brendol? I knew he would be hard on you… I should have given you better warning…"

"No. No. It was interesting to meet your father though. He knows what we have been doing."

"He… has heard the rumors."

"And he knows them to be true."

Hux frowned a little. "He… is very much an old Imperial. A strong conformist. Very concerned with appearances."

"Yes, I could tell he is not fond of my looks. It is a pity he feels that would affect my ability to perform well."

"I think he's far more concerned with how I appear by associating myself with you, and by extension how that makes him appear."

"Hm. I suppose he would much rather see you with somebody that has military or political connections."

"I'm sure that's more what he had in mind for me. Not that it matters." He added the last part quickly.

"He means well by it. His high standards for you have clearly served you well."

He wanted to point out that his father's "standards" had never done anything other than leave him with bruises, but that was a discussion for another time. "It is a bit of a pity to me… I do honestly think you could serve as a great help to the Order. I think that if they gave you a chance, you would prove yourself a tremendous addition to the organization. He's just… unwilling to look past what he sees now."

"Mm. You think I would be a suitable mate in the future then?"

"By his standards, I think he'd champion the idea if he understood." He paused. "I do hope you understand that is very strictly his opinion. I do not share it."

"I should hope not." She smirked a little, raising an eyebrow. "This whole thing would have been terribly awkward if you viewed me as unsuitable."

He was happy to see something of a smile on her face. He pressed his lips to her temple, "Shall I run through the list of reasons I'm terribly attracted to you once more?"

"Mm. No. I think you've gone over it enough. For now, at least." She nuzzled closer to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to mention Grand Admiral Thrawn's presence to you earlier… I was surprised when we entered the room and he was there. He was the one with that creature that crawled onto you…"

"Oh?"

"He wasn't supposed to be there. He's not even associated with the Order; he's an old Grand Admiral for the Empire, but has taken a different path after the fall of the Empire. I'd only just met him the day prior – he stopped into Brendol's office while I was visiting. We spoke briefly about the mission – he must have gotten access to my report and decided to be present during the interview. I'm not entirely sure why, but the man is something of a character. Carts one of those little reptilian creatures around on his shoulders most of the time. He actually had it with him for the entirety of the interview. I almost couldn't believe it."

"He was in the room for the entire interview?"

"Yes. Sat in the center back. It was a bit comical, actually. I think his presence was entirely unannounced. Kylo Ren was not at all happy about him being there with the creature. They're supposed to negate Force using abilities – evidently it interfered with his ability to read your mind properly."

She was quiet for a moment. "Oh."

"I thought it was odd he didn't even bother to introduce himself, much less ask any questions. But I think his presence may work in your favor."

"What makes you think that?"

"Thrawn is… well, like I said, he's something of a character. He has a sort of unique appreciation for creative thought in the people that serve under him, and you've demonstrated an ample capacity for that. And he… he is less judgmental than most of the leadership in regard to conformity. He was one of the very few non-human officers in the Imperial Navy."

"Oh."

"The man is bright blue, actually. With red eyes. I suppose I've never spent much time around non-humans, but it caught me quite off guard when I first met him." Hux shook his head, "The point is, he happens to have a decent deal of influence. I plan on speaking with him tomorrow regarding the matter – if he were to champion your cause you'd have a real chance."

She pursed her lips, "I do not think that is necessary."

He paused, looking at her. "Wha… Why? Thrawn interfering would be the best thing for you…"

"If I made a strong enough impression, he will make his opinion known. There is no need to make this political."

He hated to point this out to her, but the entire thing was political. "I'm afraid I don't entirely understand your view on this matter…"

"I would prefer to keep this as straightforward as possible. I have made my case. If that is not good enough to convince them, I have no desire to join this organization."

He blinked at her a few times. This was entirely unexpected, "Okay. If that is what you want, then okay. This… this is not how I would handle the situation, but it is your case and if that is how you want to handle it, I will honor that."

"Thank you."

He kissed her temple again, feeling more concerned than ever for her case. His only hope was that Thrawn would interfere on his own.

"Commander!" Winig called for him from his office as he passes the following day. "Come here for a moment!"

He went into the office to find Winnig was not alone – Brendol was present as well.

Winig smiled at him, "I was about to send for you, we were just having a quick meeting regarding Miss Sabai's case and I thought you should be present."

"Oh. Thank you, sir."

"We are, of course, all still considering our positions on the ordeal. However, after some discussion between Admiral Hux and myself, along with the others, we came to the conclusion that the interview wasn't quite as sufficient as we had hoped."

"Oh? Would you like to speak with her again? I'm sure she would be more than willing…"

Winig waved a hand, "We all agree that the largest concern with her is that we want to ensure that her motivations are correct, and that she is, of course, mentally stable." He looked at Hux apologetically. "I do hope you understand that's not meant in any offensive manner. Considering the circumstances she's been subjected to for so long, I think it is a reasonable thing for us to want to investigate further."

He nodded. "Of course, no offense was taken. It's a very understandable position."

"Given the… circumstances of the last interview, the four of us agreed there were grounds for Kylo Ren to interrogate her further, using his abilities."

Hux's jaw dropped open as he struggled to form a sentence, "You… want Ren to interrogate her? Privately?" Ren's interrogation tactics were notorious.

"Yes. We've actually already arranged it – it should be taking place as we speak."

"Wha… What? Ren? Now?" His head spun. He hadn't stopped by Sebbie's to see her this morning. When did they pick her up? And why would they allow Ren to privately interrogate someone they were considering using for their cognitive abilities? He – and most all of the other officers, including the four present for her questioning – had seen the state of Ren's prey after an interrogation. They were destroyed, subjected to terrible pain and quite frequently we're left shells of their former selves. "Are you… are you _completely mad_?!" He could hear himself losing control of his tone, though he really didn't mind. With any luck, it would help get his point across, "You've all seen the state of people he interrogates. She'll be of no use to anyone after that!"

"The pain aspect really only comes into play when they resist his abilities." Brendol said calmly, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "She should be fine as long as she has nothing to hide."

Hux was already out the door, sprinting for Ren's interrogation room. He rounded a corner a little too quickly and crashed right into the Chiss himself, and Sloane.

Thrawn looked surprised; Sloane looked concerned, like Hux might have lost his mind. "Commander… Are you okay? What is the hurry…"

He straightened up as quickly as he could, "I'm sorry… Terribly sorry sir." _This is one for the records. How about that time I nearly knocked Grand Admiral Thrawn on his ass running around the base like a madman? Haha._

"Hux… what is the issue here? What's wrong?" She looked like she was about to snap at him.

"They… I'm sorry. Did you know? They took her? Sent her to Ren for further interrogation."

The two were very silent. Sloane's expression confirmed that his father had lied - she didn't know. Thrawn's expression didn't confirm or deny anything. He wondered if Chiss lacked the same facial musculature to be as expressive as humans. More likely he was just very well controlled.

"No. I didn't know that."

Behind, he heard Winig and Brendol approach.

Sloane flashed them both a severe look, "Is this true? You sent that poor woman to Ren?"

"We've all agreed that she needed a proper vetting, if we are truly to consider letting her into our organization."

"So you gave her to _Ren_?"

Winig looked like he was quickly coming to the realization he messed up. Brendol looked sour.

Thrawn, he noticed, was walking away from them all. He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Hux realized, very quickly, that Chiss did in fact have the musculature for expressions. Thrawn had this sort of legendary reputation for being a very logical, stoic man, but that clearly was not the case at the moment. His eyes seemed to be glowing red. "This strikes me as needlessly cruel. I will be putting this to a stop, _now_."

With that, he left.

Hux could feel his hands shaking with rage. "You couldn't have even given me time to speak to her before hand? She didn't even know what the Force is… she'll have no idea what to expect…"

Brendol frowned at him, "You're letting your emotions get in the way of your judgment here, Armitage."

Hux blinked at him a few times, feeling like his eyes might be able to sear holes into the elder Hux. "No. You are the one letting your emotions interfere all out of some misguided fear that my… association with her will adversely affect _you_." He turned on his heel and hurried after Thrawn.

Thrawn was headed in the entirely wrong direction. It made sense – the man would have no idea where Ren's interrogation chamber was.

"Ren's chamber is on the lower level…" Hux just managed to catch up with him.

Thrawn glanced at him. "Go. I will get my ysalamir. That boy is more trouble than he's worth."

Hux nodded and turned, rushing to the lower level. He was almost to the door when he noticed the little yellow creature scurrying along the floor next to him.

The chamber was built with two parts – the first door lead to a sort of entry area, with a glass viewing panel into the second portion of the chamber. He quickly entered his code into the first door and rushed in, running into Ren with enough force to nearly fall over as he did.

"Ren…" He straightened up quickly, glowering at the man.

"Hux?" Ren looked as though he may have been in as much of a hurry to get out as Hux was to get in. He quickly regained his composure, though the ridiculous mask he always wore made it difficult to tell what he was thinking. "What are you doing here?"

On the floor, the ysalamir hissed at him. Ren looked down and made a disgusted noise, amplified by the mask. He lifted his foot to stomp the creature, but it scurried away quickly, into the second chamber.

"What have you done with her?"

"I would care to know that as well." Thrawn's deep voice seemed to echo in the room. He was standing in the doorway, blocking the exit Ren was so desperate to reach moments earlier.

Ren's mask turned from Thrawn to Hux.

"I can't decide which of you I'm more disgusted with."

Thrawn stepped through the doorway, and as he did Hux could see he had a second ysalamir perched on his shoulders. In a smooth, powerful movement, he grabbed the front of Ren's mask, hooking his middle and index fingers into the viewing area, and shoved him back into the wall hard enough that the helmet cracked loudly against the metal.

"Watch yourself, _boy_. I am not afraid of you. You are not half the man your grandfather was, and that's saying something because I wasn't particularly fond of him either."

Hux's jaw dropped at the comment. Ren's lineage was known among most of the officers – to disparage the name of such a siginificant figure to the Empire… Clearly Thrawn just didn't give a shit.

The creature on his shoulders hissed and snapped at Ren, who squirmed under the force of Thrawn's grip, "She's fine. For fuck's sake let me go, she's just fine. Go look."

Hux stepped into the inner most room, the actual interrogation chamber, and saw her sitting on the board Ren generally strapped his victims to. She sat with her legs crossed, the first ysalamir planted in her lap with its eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for Ren.

She stroked the little yellow creature, a sad, longing look on her face.

"Oni…" He went to her side quickly. She muttered something he couldn't quite make out and the reptile scurried off her lap and out the door. He ignored it, far more concerned with her. "Are you okay?" He couldn't help himself – he put a hand on the side of her face and turned her to look at him directly. Every single one of Ren's victims he'd seen had been left with bloodied noses from the strain of Ren's tactics, some even bled from the eyes.

She wasn't bleeding at all. Rather, she gave a small smile, "I am okay."

Something about the smile and her tone made him feel as though a very heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders. He heaved a sigh of relief and drew her into his arms, hugging her closely. It was entirely inappropriate, but he didn't care much. They were essentially alone, save Ren and Thrawn who were preoccupied bickering with one another. He expected to find a catatonic puddle of a human being who just happened to have her body. This couldn't be a much bigger relief.

He buried his nose in her hair, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Um… Hux?" She wiggled a little in his arms, "Should you maybe…"

He snuck a kiss onto her forehead and let her go, though not entirely. He kept one hand holding her wrist. He needed to keep that for a few more moments, to remind himself she was okay. "You're sure you're okay? I'm sorry Oni… I'm so sorry…"

She looked confused. "Um… why?"

"I had no idea they were going to have Ren interrogate you. I would have stopped it had I known. I'm so sorry… I at least should have been given the opportunity to warn you of what to expect."

She blinked a few times. "Well you did tell me he could read minds."

"Yes, but… are you really not hurt?"

She sniffed a little, scratching her nose, "No. Not really. I have a bit of a headache. We haven't been here long. Maybe 15 minutes."

"I…" Hux now felt like he was the confused one. "I have seen him _ruin_ people using that tactic in less than ten minutes."

"Oh? It's an odd thing. You can feel it when he's in there. I asked him about it – how it works. He's not the friendliest person, but he did give me a little information."

Hux almost laughed. _Not the friendliest?_ He'd seen the man choke out an officer simply for delivering information he didn't like.

"Have you seen him interrogate someone before?"

"No… No. I've only seen the aftermath."

"He asks questions when he does it. I suppose a mind is a very complicated thing to have to root through. So he asks questions so the information he needs is pushed to the forefront… so it's easier for him to locate."

"Oh? Were you able to… block him out or something?"

"Well I tried that, but it gave me a bit of a headache, so I did the exact opposite."

"You… what?"

"I do think I scared him a bit. He left rather quickly." She grinned at him. "I thought, in great detail, about all sorts of things he probably never wanted to know."


	10. Chapter 10

It was almost remarkable how quickly the incident took him from the utmost caution to giving zero fucks. When they left Ren's interrogation room, both Thrawn and Ren were gone. Hux hoped Thrawn would have stayed long enough for them to thank him, but he realized he probably had bigger things to handle. Such as the officers who thought this was a good idea. And Ren.

As if he was on autopilot, he veered off their typical path to Sebbie's quarters.

"Where are we going?"

"To my quarters."

"Oh." A smile flickered across her lips. "Is that okay?"

"Yes." _Probably not._ But then, this has made him realize: His superiors probably all already knew of his involvement with her. And clearly they did not have her best interests at heart, as he had hoped they would. He expected his father to be malicious, but this… this was completely out of line. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his father most likely suggested having Ren interrogate her further. He'd never been fond of Ren, as most of the upper ranks weren't, but somehow in Brenol's mind Oni was an even bigger threat than Ren.

As soon as the door to his quarters closed, he took her face between his hands and kissed her. "I'm so… so happy you're okay. I should have been there to stop them…"

"Mm…" She kissed him back, smiling, "Hux. I am okay. You are more disturbed by this event than I am."

He looked at her for a few quiet moments, brushing her cheekbone with his thumb. She didn't realize what they tried to do to her. She didn't have the slightest clue how terribly she could have been hurt. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching, "Oni… I underestimated them. I underestimated Brendol's ill intent. Ren is so unstable… they meant for him to tear your mind to pieces. I'm…" He hesitated. "I'm terrified I could have just lost you."

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times and she turned her head to the side, slipping her lips onto his, "But I am okay."

"I know. I know. But I don't want to let go of you. I'm afraid you may slip away again."

He felt her smile against his lips, "Then don't. But do not underestimate me either, Armitage. I am more capable than most give me credit for."

"There… there are so many things to think about right now."

"I know." She kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip. "Can thinking wait a little bit? I think I know something that would be better for both of us right now."

He never felt quite so grateful to have her tugging at the buttons on his uniform. He pulled the simple, soft dress she wore over her head and tossed it onto the floor, running his hands over the bare skin of her long torso greedily. Gripping her sides, he guided her back a step, bracing her against the wall.

She sighed into his lips, peeling the jacket off his shoulders quickly and working on his trousers.

He pressed into her, nibbling at the soft skin on her neck and collar with a sort of urgency. Something about this felt perfectly right at the moment. He was so terrified that he may have lost her. Now all he wanted was all of her, like some primal urge to know that he hadn't lost anything.

She moaned, shivering under his desperate touch, "Hux…"

He pulled her hips into his, breathing heavily against her neck.

"Hux." She pushed him back a bit. He blinked at her a few times, trying not to force himself back onto her.

She smirked a little. "This works better if you do not have these on." She undid his trousers and pushed them off his hips, then pulled him back close to her, a gesture he welcomed enthusiastically.

She pushed her brief-like underwear off and stepped out of them, wrapping her long legs around his waist, her arms slung around his shoulders for support. He grinded against her a few times, feeling a little too dizzy with her to slow down. He finally pulled back a little, positioning himself and pushing into her.

Her breath shaking, she inhaled as he did, arching her back against the wall. "Armitage…" Her voice shook as she said his name.

"If you always said my name like that, I may learn to like it."

She smiled and dug her fingers into his hair, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, "I am flattered by your concern…" She whispered it into his lips quietly.

He sighed a little, wanting to somehow pull her onto his cock even further. "I really thought I may have lost you…" He took a mouthful of her lips again, "I was certain you'd at least have been hurt…"

She tilted her hips a little, allowing as much of him into her as she could. The moan she let out made him shake, almost losing whatever composure he'd managed to keep thus far. "They cannot hurt me."

It struck him as a slightly ignorant opinion, but then her ego was something he appreciated about her. "I will not let them." He kissed at her neck, "You… you are above this."

Her breathing grew heavier. "I am protected by things far stronger than they understand. Including you." She caught his lips, her fingers messing up his hair further as she pulled a little. Her breath shook, "They cannot take me from you."

"Oni… you're…" He inhaled deeply, trying to last a few more moments, but her body tensed around him and he came, pushing into her a few last times. He felt her mouth hanging open slightly, buried into his hairline. He turned his face upward and kissed her, trying to catch his breath. "Stay here. In my quarters."

She returned the kiss and unwrapped her legs from around him, keeping her lips close to his, "Is that… advisable?"

"Quite frankly, I don't care if it is." He kissed her again and made his way fully into his home. It was a relatively small place, with a small kitchen and seating area. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and his bedroom and a washroom sat toward the back. He guided her with him, to the washroom so they could clean themselves.

"Are you sure of that?"

He paused and looked at her. She shrugged. "This is something you should be sure of before you decide. You may be slightly… compromised at the moment."

"Yes. I am certain." He turned on the shower and pulled her in after him. He was sorry this had to be rushed – she looked positively stunning and he realized this was the first time he'd ever been in a shower with her. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. He kissed her, running his fingers over the soft, water spotted skin on her ribs. "I need to return to work for the remainder of the day…"

"I assumed so much." She placed her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. "You would like me to stay here until you return?"

"Yes. And tonight. I want you to stay here tonight. If you would like."

"I would, of course. Are you… Are you certain Armitage? If you change your mind, I will not be offended."

"Yes. And I won't change my mind." He kissed her again. He needed to clean himself quickly, but this was nice… and what was a few more moments of distraction? "They know of our affair. They've heard the rumors and assume them to be true. I'm certain my father knows, and honestly I strongly suspect he spearheaded this awful idea to have Ren interrogate you."

"That would not surprise me. He and a few troopers are the ones that retrieved me from Sebbie's quarters."

Hux frowned. "Oni, they do not… they do not have your best interests in mind. They are trying to hurt you. Do _not_ trust them. While I am gone, do not answer the door for anyone. And don't… don't go anywhere. Just stay here." He stroked her cheekbone again, "I need you to be safe."

She gave him a reassuring peck.

"I…" He really needed to start cleaning himself, but instead he stood under the stream watching her and feeling slightly helpless. "Oni, I am sorry to have dragged you into this. I expected a much more fair critique of your abilities… Had I known they would behave in such a cruel and unfair manner, I never would have made this suggestion for you. They… They are behaving like fools. This sort of behavior only serves to alienate potential allies."

She pursed her lips for a moment, and then ran her fingers through her wet hair, "You may think this is odd, but if they were to offer me a position within your organization after all this, I would absolutely take it."

"You… what? Why?" Did she not understand they literally just tried to kill her?

She smiled, "There are many factors. Mostly, I would take it to make them all feel like fools. To show them just how wrong their behavior has been." She paused. "And you are a factor."

The water beat down into the drain below his feet. He needed to start washing himself, really.

This was her way of saying she would like to stay with him.

The idea nearly gave him a headache. He wanted it, certainly. He wanted it more than anything. Hypothetically, it could happen. She could get a place just off the base, and he could easily visit as often as he wanted. He could even live off base with her. There were a few other officers with such living arrangements.

He shook his head and began to clean himself, "This is something for us to discuss further when I return this evening."

When he returned late in the evening, she was waiting on his bed, a few books around her feet.

"You must like to read." She said, her knees hugged to her chest.

He looked at the books, wondering what she was doing with them. They were a bit useless to someone without eyes. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"I used to love to read."She ran her fingers over one of the books. It wss a very old book, with a well worn cover and yellowed pages. "I miss it second most, only to colors. Though, I suppose I can still read. It's actually about all I can do." She gave a somewhat sad half-smile, "It is different though."

He leaned across the bed and kissed her, wanting to tell her that she'd be able to read books again very soon. But he didn't. It would have been a lie. He spent a portion of his day trying to track down any of the other officers involved in her case, but he wasn't able to locate any of them. Even his father seemed to have disappeared.

He looked around his room, the walls lined with books. "You are welcome to my library, when we're able to get you better bionics."

She smiled, "I was surprised that you seem to have very little wall space. It is all bookshelves. Have you read them all?"

"Almost. I have a few unread ones I intend to get to soon."

"What are they about? What do you like to read?"

"They're mostly historical texts… and a good deal of engineering related materials. Some political theory as well."

"No fiction?"

He crawled into his bed, sitting next to her, "I used to read a great deal of fiction when I was a child. I'm afraid I don't have much time for that anymore. What did you like to read?"

"Mm. Everything. Anything I could get my hands on. Fiction, nonfiction… I suppose the acquisition of new knowledge was very highly encouraged in my home."

She seemed almost a little sad. Talking about her home did this to her. "Oni… If you want to return to Nivo I can arrange that." He kissed her, "You say you have no interest in it, but every time you speak of it you seem so sad."

She smiled weakly. "I miss something that is no longer there. I am sure I am making the correct decision to avoid going back. It seems like something that would hurt more than it would help."

"You were very close to your mother, weren't you?"

"Yes." She paused. "Do you miss your mother?"

"Mm. I never knew her."

"Oh?" She blinked, her chin rested on her knees. "She did pass when you were young. I suppose I didn't think of that. You probably have little memory of her."

Armitage realized his mistake quickly – and was rather surprised by it. She hasn't poked around in his personal file much. "No. It's a bit complicated. You're thinking of Brendol's wife. She's not my mother."

"Oh… Oh dear. I'm sorry."

"You haven't read through my personal file further?"

"I have not. It felt like something of a violation getting into it in the first place. I figured I had no place looking further. It was… an affair?"

Hux inhaled a little. He supposed with everything she had told him he was safe to explain this to her. It didn't make him hate speaking of the matter any less. "I assume so. I don't really know. Brendol has never been entirely willing to speak of the matter."

"Do you know who she was?"

He looked to the piles of books lining his shelves, "I'm told she worked in the kitchens on Arkanis. I never have been given a name."

"Oh." She frowned into her knees. "He never even told you her name?"

"No, as I said, he doesn't speak of the matter."

"But… that is not fair to you. That is punishing you for his disloyalty. It is deplorable that he should behave as though he is more hurt by his actions than you." She looked terribly repulsed by this information.

"Mm. Well. I do think he was more hurt by it. His wife committed suicide out of shame from the whole ordeal."

She went quiet, her lips hidden behind her knees.

He shrugged, "I understand he doesn't want to discuss the matter. And it is very far behind us now."

"But to not even have given you a name…"

He was getting irritated with her persistence. "What do you know of your father? You said your mother raised you by herself – did she ever tell you anything of him?"

She was quiet.

He regretted snapping at her. It was probably a sore a subject for her as well. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No. That is a fair assessment, to some extent."

Was it? She was right. His father did owe him at least a name, just as her mother owed her as much.

"Would you like to know her name?"

"Would you like to know your father's name?"

"I am certain her name would be recorded somewhere in your profile. It would not be difficult for me to locate."

He hadn't thought of that. The information was sitting there, she could probably access it in a matter of seconds, while they sat here on his bed. "I…" He paused. "No. I'd rather you didn't."

Of course he wanted to know. He'd always wanted to know, since he was a very young boy. But after so many years he'd come to feel that Brendol owed him that answer. Obtaining the information any other way felt like something of a failure.

She nodded into her knees, seeming to understand. "I will not look."

"Thank you." He kissed her again, not liking the tense feeling left from their conversation. "I do appreciate that."

"If you change your mind…"

"I won't."

They were both quiet.

"Armitage."

"Hm?"

"I won't leave you."

He kissed her again, appreciating the thought. "You don't have to. I will make sure you can stay."

"Hm. You are certain that is what you want?"

"Have I ever led you to believe any differently?"

"I am not a wise career move for you."

He would have liked to pretend that he hadn't thought of this. But of course he did. His career had been the only relationship in his life for many, many years. "I would like to keep both things in my life – my career and you. I can find a way to make that happen." He kissed her again. "Don't underestimate my ingenuity."

She smiled. "You say such good things."

"Mm. I try. Now… you'll have to forgive me, but I am terribly tired. I need to try to sleep for a few hours at least." He moved the books from around her feet and set them on the nightstand.

There was something painfully delightful about having her crawl under the covers of his bed with him, curling into his arms. It felt right to have her there. He needed to find a way to keep it.

"Armitage?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me. Thank you."

There was a nagging feeling that he hadn't done quite enough yet. She should thank him if by some miracle the Order agreed to give her eyes. But as of now… as of now he felt that he hadn't done much of anything. And the little he had done was wildly unsuccessful.

They fell asleep curled into each other.

She stopped him before he could get out his front door the next morning, looking almost nervous, and kissed him. "Armitage. I will not leave you."

He was, to say the least, flattered. She was the first person to tell him that, ever. He moved her hand from his face and kissed it. "Thank you. Oni… really. Thank you." He kissed her lips, "I'll see you later tonight."

He turned to leave and she stopped him. "No." Her eyes were downcast, lids hanging heavily with her long lashes obscuring her prosthetics. He wished she wouldn't hide them around him. Maybe with time the habit would disappear. "I do not think you really believe me. I need you to listen. I will _not_ leave you."

He watched her quietly for a moment. "I do believe you. And… thank you." He gave her one last kiss and left for his workday.

When he returned home late in the evening, she was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

His first thought when he realized she was missing was to go to Sebbie. They'd become fast friends, maybe she had gone to see him. When Sebbie told him he hadn't seen her in days, the seriousness of the situation started to sink in. Sebbie offered to help – they searched the base, even going to the security department to access the recordings of the hallway near Hux's quarters. There was nothing. No visual recording of her leaving. Not even a digital record of his door opening after he'd left for work.

Their search proved entirely worthless. Hux didn't sleep that evening, and returned to his work early the following morning. He clung to some hope that she might reappear, but his hopes were dashed. Her parting words replayed in his head, over and over. _I will not leave you. I need you to listen. I will not leave you._ She was so oddly adamant about it – it had to have been some sort of message to him. She knew she was going to disappear. And she planned on returning.

He held out hope that it was part of her plan to reappear in time for her verdict, but she was still nowhere to be found when the sun rose the day of. It put him in an awkward situation – appearing for the announcement of their decision without her would look completely awful, regardless of what their decision was. It would be disastrous if by some miracle they decided in her favor and she wasn't present.

Luckily, he still had some time. The announcement was set for mid afternoon. He distracted himself as much as he could, focusing on his work for a few hours before he got an unexpected message from a uniformed messenger he didn't recognize – one of Thrawn's people. Oddly, the man was human. He wondered how many humans the Ascendancy had working for them.

"Sir." The messanger saluted him. "I've been sent by Admiral Thrawn. He requests your presence aboard his ship."

"Oh?" Hux stood from behind his desk, "Did he give any information as to what it pertains to?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. He has requested your presence immediately though, provided you don't have any urgent engagement."

"Yes, of course."

It was such an unexpected thing. He assumed it must have something to do with Oni, considering the pending announcement. Following after the messenger, Hux wondered what Thrawn would want to discuss with him. And he wondered what his ship would look like. Thrawn's main ship had been stationed over their base for a few weeks now, while he was assessing a potential alliance with the Order.

The messenger took him to a transport ship where Sloane and his father, along with several other high-ranking Order officials, were also waiting. They both looked surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Sloane asked.

"I haven't been given any details, other than that Thrawn requested my presence."

His father raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Sloane smirked a little. "The Grand Admiral has invited all of us," she motioned to the people around them, "to tour his ship. You must have made a good impression on him for him to consider you worthy of a tour with all of us."

"I didn't know that's what this was." He didn't blame them for being surprised, if that was the case.

The ship made its way up to Thrawn's main ship. It wasn't as big as he'd expected. Smaller than an Imperial star destroyer. It made sense though, from what he'd studied of Thrawn's tactics. The man preferred to make his fleet flexible, movable, so the loss of one ship wouldn't be devastating to the whole.

A young female Chiss greeted them when they reached Thrawn's ship. His staff appeared to be mostly Chiss, along with a few other species, including humans. The female made a polite introduction, stating that Thrawn was busy with other business at the moment but would join them as soon as he was able. As they started off on their tour, someone grabbed his arm.

It was the messenger who had retrieved him. "Pardon me, Commander, but the Admiral has requested you not take part in the tour. He had other intentions for bringing you here."

He could see his father and Sloane looking back suspiciously as their group was taken into the main section of the ship.

"Er… yes. What for?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. Please follow me."

He lead Hux through a few hallways, and into an office. "Please make yourself comfortable. The Admiral will be here shortly." And with that, he left Hux to himself.

Hux took one guess: this was Thrawn's personal office. Art hung on the walls. The man was a notorious collector.

He walked around the wall slowly, examining the pieces more out of boredom than anything. He'd certainly never been an art fanatic, but it was at least something to look at to pass the time, rather than staring at a blank wall.

There was a mosaic piece that appeared to have been made of tiny shards of glass, and some sort of mask (Hux laughed to himself, wondering if someday an art appreciator like Thrawn would have Ren's helmet hanging on his wall), and a few different paintings of various subjects in various styles. He was relatively uninterested in them, but one to the back right of Thrawn's desk made him pause.

There was something about the piece that caught his eye. The colors stood out in particular – a golden rectangle stood tall against a textured background of blue-green shades. Hurling in from the side was a reddish, energetic looking ball.

He squinted at it, trying to figure out what it is. The combination of thick-textured paint and faded lines made it complicated to look at.

"Commander, thank you for coming. I'm sorry for my delay…"

Thrawn's deep voice nearly made him jump. He turned to the man. "Don't be concerned, sir. I haven't been here long at all. I was just… admiring your collection." It was a complete lie. Save the final piece that caught his eye, he thought the rest of it was rather strange, at best.

Thrawn nodded to the piece Hux stood in front of. "Interesting that that one should catch your eye." He closed the door and moved into his seat behind the desk.

"I can't profess to know much of art, unfortunately, but it is an interesting piece to look at."

"Mm." Thrawn swiveled his chair and looked at the piece, "It is, isn't it? I think it's the lines that intrigue people. There's a great deal of energy to it. It happens to be my favorite piece I own, actually. I find I spend most of my time here, it seemed appropriate to have it next to me."

Hux was out of his depth in any conversation concerning art, but Thrawn was being chatty and Hux thought it may work in his favor to show interest. "I can see why. If you don't mind me asking, what is the subject? It's a very complicated piece; I can't quite make it out." He squinted a little.

Yes. He has no idea what the painting was supposed to depict.

Thrawn glanced back to him, his fingertips pressed together. "What it is doesn't matter as much as what you think it is. What do you think it is?"

Shit. Plan backfiring. Abort mission.

"I'm afraid I know very little of art, but it appears to be… almost like a mountain about to be struck by a meteor?" He was painfully aware that he sounded like a complete moron. "I really have no idea. I assume my assessment is entirely inaccurate, it's far too beautiful a piece to depict something so base."

Thrawn looked at the piece quietly for a moment, hiding something that almost looked like a smile behind his fingers. Hux was fairly certain he was trying not to laugh at him.

"That is an interesting interpretation."

"Does it have an actual intended subject?"

Thrawn turned back to him, "It does, but it doesn't really matter." He paused. "Though I will tell you your interpretation is remarkably close to the artist's intention."

That was something of a relief to hear. Hux felt slightly reassured that he hadn't made a _complete_ fool of himself.

Thrawn inhaled deeply, "I'm sure you're wondering why I requested your presence here."

"Yes, I am curious what you wanted to discuss."

"I have a great deal of things I would like to address, but I do think it is best for me to begin by commending you for what I would say is remarkably good judgment in the case of Miss Sebai."

"Oh. Thank you, sir." So his assumption was right. This was about Oni.

"You should not thank me. Not only have you demonstrated good judgment of her abilities and her potential within your organization, but you have stood by her, and by your word, under an uncalled for amount of pressure from your superiors, including your father."

This was all rather flattering and a bit unexpected, but Hux still had to stop himself from saying that he never once doubted his decision to back her – he knew he was right from the very beginning.

Thrawn continued. "I think it's also worth mentioning – compassion is a trait that is often overlooked, or looked down upon, in our trade. That is very much due to the nature of our work, I think. Most view it as a weakness. I happen to completely disagree with that. I think that, very selectively used, compassion is a vital tool to turning people in your favor. You have shown a great deal of compassion for her, and there is no doubt in my mind that will echo among your troops. They will be more loyal to you because of it."

"Thank you." Hux briefly wondered if the rumors of he and Oni's affair had made it to Thrawn.

"It is far too easy to get stuck in a strictly Imperial style of thinking, particularly for members of the Order. Your organization was never meant to be a clone of the Empire. The Empire crumbled because it was flawed. It gives me hope to see a young officer capable of thinking outside of this pre-established format."

It gave Hux some faith to see an older, more experienced official recognize this issue – it'd disturbed Hux for some time.

Thrawn didn't move from his position, with his elbows on his desk and his fingertips pressed together. "It is my understanding that she has been staying in your quarters since shortly after your crew rescued her."

It was like an icy knife to the chest. Thrawn knew. Of course he knew. How could Hux have thought the man wouldn't know? He was notorious for knowing everything.

"I…"

Thrawn's red eyes blinked at him, like he was waiting for an answer, or an explanation, or something. His expression was blank, which was mildly infuriating. Hux had no idea if he was disappointed or okay with the affair. It was more like he was just… gathering data. Although, Hux did remember reading many years ago that the Chiss weren't particularly fond of the concept of romantic relationships - that they were viewed as a waste of time.

He couldn't think of any possible way to control this situation. If he lied, he would undoubtedly be caught. If he told the truth, he would look weak to one of the most powerful people in the Unknown Regions.

"Yes." He barely managed the word, but decided that if he was doomed either way he could at least do right by her.

Thrawn nodded. "You care for her?"

Hux hesitated again. "Is this relevant to her case?"

"Yes, I do think it is."

It was driving Hux absolutely mad that he couldn't get a read on the man. He seemed to be just taking the information in and filing it, without any real reaction.

"I have… found myself drawn to her." Everything that he was saying seemed wrong, but then there was no good way to say any of it.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't see how any of this is relevant to her case…"

"Most of my colleagues would view such a relationship as inappropriate, particularly for a bright young leader. It would be seen as a distraction. This is an entirely inaccurate assessment on their behalf. The need for affection its quite normal in any species. And it is healthy, even in environments such as ours that require such high levels of focus and dedication."

Hux was beyond shocked to hear such a statement from Thrawn.

He finally lowered his hands. "It may be worth noting that I am not saying any of this as a theory, or as something that I have observed in my years of leadership. I say it as somebody who has been in your situation before, personally."

Hux blinked at the man a few times, taking a moment to process what Thrawn was telling him. He'd been forced to hide a romantic relationship. It was somewhat difficult to imagine the man being romantic with anyone. He was supremely professional, highly logical, and very reserved. Much like Hux, only taken to a much more severe degree.

"So I will ask you again, Commander. What draws you to her?"

Hux imagined that admitting to a past romantic affair was no small feat for Thrawn. It was his way of demonstrating to Hux that is was safe for him to speak freely.

"When I first met her, I saw someone who had been forced into a horrible life. And yet in the face of such deplorable conditions, she found a way to use her intelligence and cunning to her advantage. She has this zeal, like some part of her has remained entirely unaffected by whatever terrible things she's been through. In short she seems somewhat…" He paused, not knowing what the appropriate word was. "Remarkable."

Again, nothing from Thrawn. It was maddening.

He finally spoke. "What do you hope for from the announcement later today?"

Hux hesitated again. Thrawn seemed to be an ally in this situation, in support of both he and Oni. Maybe it was best for him to be upfront about the situation. The worst thing Hux could do was encourage Thrawn to throw his support behind her if she wouldn't even be present.

Hux swallowed deeply, "I had hoped, of course, that the Order would take her in. Both for her sake, and for the betterment of the Order. However… I do think I should be forthright about this before it is too late. She disappeared a few days ago, without a trace. I… I have no idea where she is."

Again, like gathering data. Hux couldn't read anything from the response. "Do you have any suspicion as to where she may have gone?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately not. I've exhausted all options. I do think she left at her own will – there was no sign of struggle in my quarters, and I'm certain had someone tried to take her she would have put up a fight. And there's no recorded evidence of her leaving my quarters, which leads me to believe she likely left and altered the records herself so she couldn't be tracked."

"And you have no theory as to why she would have left?"

"My best guess would be that after the incident with Ren she feared for her safety and fled to protect herself."

Thrawn nodded slowly and stood from his desk, "Will you walk with me, Commander?"

It seemed like an odd turn for such a private conversation, but Hux did as he requested, walking next to him as they left the office and made their way down the hallways of his ship.

"I never had a chance to follow up with you after the incident involving the Force user."

"Yes, I'm glad you mention it. She and I appreciated your interference. If it weren't for you and the… er…"

"The ysalamir?"

"Yes, it weren't for you and that creature I don't know that she or I would have left that interrogation chamber intact."

"Hm. Yes, well, that boy is an issue all his own. He makes his grandfather look like a stable, well mannered gentleman."

Hux was a little shocked by Thrawn's apparent distaste for Darth Vader.

"You seem to have very little patience for Kylo Ren."

Thrawn's eyebrows twitched. "Yes, well he has no patience for anything, so I extend the same courtesy to him. His lack of discipline is atrocious. As far as I am concerned, he is a liability for your organization. It is beyond me why Sloane chooses to work with him."

Hux was irrationally delighted to hear Thrawn's opinion of Ren echoed his own so closely.

Thrawn flicked his fingers, dismissing the subject with a sort of clipped quickness. "That is a discussion for another time. The ysalamiri are quite remarkable, aren't they? I was glad to have found them, years ago. Useful little creatures. And notably loyal as well."

Hux didn't know what to say to this. He appreciated the disgusting little creatures about as much as the odd art on Thrawn's walls. Though, the ysalamiri were at least tactically useful. "They do seem to obey you quite well."

"Hm. Yes, they are more intelligent than one would think. They remember people. Such as yourself. That's how K'tizo knew to follow you."

"Is that… its name?"

"Yes. It's a Cheunh word. It means yellow." He paused. "In my defense, I did not name him."

"Oh."

This entire encounter was turning into one of the most bazaar he'd had in his life.

"Have you been on a Chiss ship before?" Thrawn asked.

"I haven't had the privilege yet. It's a beautiful ship. I admit, I am impressed."

Thrawn looked quite pleased with himself, "Thank you."

As they made their way down a long hallway, Hux was entirely unsurprised to see art on the walls. Of course Thrawn would decorate his personal ship with art.

Thrawn paused in the middle of the hallway and Hux came to a quick stop as well. "Commander, I do hope that our discussion has spurred you to continue on the path you have chosen. Young leaders such as yourself are much needed in these parts."

Hux was entirely confused as to why they had to come to his ship for this to be said. "Yes, thank you sir."

Thrawn gave a short nod. "This way please."He turned sharply and entered into one of the rooms on the far wall. Hux followed, realizing it was a med bay. A grey haired, old human greeted him, looking at Hux like he wondered what Hux was doing there. Hux wished he could explain.

Thrawn nodded to the old man, "Enos, is she alright to have visitors?"

Hux paused, realization crashing over him like a wave. How had he not realized beforehand? Thrawn had taken her.

"Yes, she's been awake for awhile now."

Thrawn stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, pushing Hux through before him.

His knees grew almost weak enough to give when he saw her. She was sitting on the floor in her medical robe, flipping through a stack of brightly colored canvas paintings that Thrawn no doubt provided for her.

She looked over her shoulder, blinking. In the silence, he could hear a soft whir. New eyes. Thrawn had gotten her new eyes.

The new bionics looked quite similar to the old ones. They were black as well, though they appeared slightly shinier. There was a crease in her brow. She was confused.

He stepped toward her quickly, "You can see?"

Her mouth fell open, in a sort of gaping half grin. She got to her feet quickly.

"I suppose you wouldn't recognize me…"

She let out a stifled laugh, and covered her mouth quickly. "Oh… Armitage?"

He wondered if he looked funny to her. She seemed to be laughing at his appearance. "Er… yes?"

Her eyes were utterly huge as she looked at him, "You are _bright_ red!" She giggled, "I've never seen a person with red hair before! Can I touch it?" She didn't wait for him to answer, weaving her fingers into his hair. He tried, unsuccessfully, to dodge the touch.

"Oni…"

"That's _amazing_ … I didn't even know such a thing could happen…"

With her fingers woven into his hair in a highly inappropriate gesture of affection, she looked to Thrawn in the doorway, her nose wrinkled, "Have you ever seen anything so bazaar? It's such a striking shade. I had no idea. Is this normal for people here?"

Thrawn looked mildly amused. Hux was mortified, and also slightly confused that in a room with he and Thrawn, she would think Hux was the odd looking one.

From the main area of the med bay, he heard the old man: "Sir, you are not…"

Brendol's dreadfully familiar voice snapped back, "I will go where I please. My son is in there…" He strode through the door with a very purposeful fervor, followed by an upset looking Sloane. A disappointed look crossed Brendol's face when he saw Hux and Oni. Oni withdrew her fingers from his hair quickly.

Thrawn, standing near the doorway, barely gave Brendol a glance.

"Really?" He shot Thrawn a glare. "What have you done here? You had no grounds to interfere in our investigation in the first place…"

Sloane inhaled deeply, "Brendol does have a point, Thrawn. This was our matter to deal with, you should not have interfered."

"Sloane, I am disappointed in you." Thrawn said, frowning at her a little. "I was _obligated_ to intervene."

Oni let out a little, muffled giggle again. The sound filled Hux with dread – the last thing he needed right now was her giggling at his father.

Brendol looked down his nose at her, "What are you laughing at? Or are you just that pleased with the situation you've ended up in?"

"I'm sorry…" She barely eked out the apology before she started giggling again. "It's just… there's two of you… it's so bazaar…"

Brendol looked at Hux with a raised eyebrow.

"You will have to forgive her," Thrawn explained. "She's never seen anyone with red hair before. Her home planet is entirely populated by humans of her own coloring."

Brendol appeared disgusted with the explanation, "And how would you know that? What? You've been to this mystery planet in all your travels?"

Thrawn hesitated for a moment. "I have."

"Ah, I see now. You garnered some... _appreciation_ for the people of this planet, so when you read Armitage's account and saw where she claimed to be from, you felt the need to interfere in our business."

"Oh dear." She blinked at Thrawn. "These two are the leaders of this organization, and they have not figured it out yet?" She looked at Hux and paused. "Oh… you haven't either? _Really_? I did hope you would have been quick enough to piece it together…"

Thrawn squinted at them, "Yes, I suppose you could say I gained a great appreciation for the people of Nivo. In particular, for a young woman I met there." He paused, looking almost shocked that he had to elaborate so thoroughly. "Oni is my daughter."

Hux's head felt light. He looked at Oni. She smiled at him.

Suddenly the redness under her eyes made so much more sense. Sebbie was correct. It wasn't an infection. It was the same markings her father had.

She clicked her teeth, "I am sorry, I had to tell you a bit of a… white lie. I have always known who my father was. My mother didn't really raise me on her own…"

Thrawn hummed a little from the doorway, "I would disagree with that. She did most of the work."

Oni waved a hand at him, "Oh but you worked so much. You were there when you could be."

Hux realized his mouth was hanging open. He finally managed to say what he'd been thinking: "Huh?" He wavered a little and sank back onto the physician's stool behind him.

She smiled nervously and poked his arm, "I… I am sorry. I couldn't tell you. It's… it's all very complicated…"

He blinked at her. Suddenly, his entire prior conversation with Thrawn seemed infinitely more awkward and incriminating. Had he known, he may have tried harder to censor the bits about her staying in his quarters.

Brendol's eyes were pinched shut as he rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, "This is… disgusting." He turned sharply and left.

Hux was just happy that the man managed to censor himself a little. No doubt, if Thrawn wasn't such a powerful man Oni would have had to listen to Brendol's opinion of non-humans.

Sloane frowned, glaring fiercely after Brendol. No doubt she was _not_ happy he just risked offending such a powerful ally.

Thrawn seemed unaffected by Brendol's sudden departure. He looked at the two of them, "I imagine you two have a great deal to discuss. I'll leave you to yourselves. Admiral Sloane, I believe you and I have matters to discuss." He turned to leave. "Oh, Commander?"

"Yes, sir?" Hux almost hesitated with the "sir" portion. Everything felt so off-kilter at the moment.

"I think it may be in your best interests to take the rest of the day off."

Hux gave an empty nod, his mind swimming.

As he and Sloane exited, he could hear her speak: "Your _daughter_?"

Oni spoke after the door closed, "Are you okay, Armitage?"

"I… yes. I think. What… I need you to…" He sighed, tiring of his inability to speak. "Can you just… start from the beginning?"

She looked at him for a few moments, then backed onto the bed. "I will tell you what I know, but I do not even know everything that happened. Where would you like me to start?"

"How does the daughter of arguably the most powerful Grand Admiral the Empire ever saw end up being sold into slavery?" He paused. "Wait, no. Before that. How does the Empire's most powerful Grand Admiral have a child without anyone knowing?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. "Well, he was very careful about it."

"I imagine so." This all felt very surreal.

She drew her feet onto the bed and tucked them under her. "I have not had much opportunity to speak with him regarding my childhood and his relationship with my mother yet. But as I understand, he met her while visiting the planet as he was leaving the Empire to return to the Chiss. At some point I came into the picture…" She sniffed, scratching her nose. "Looking back on the matter as an adult, I do think I may have been an accident. I can't imagine either of them wanted the sort of arrangement that I was raised in. I lived on Nivo with my mother, and he would visit whenever he had the opportunity. To the best of my memory, I would see him… maybe three or four times a year. It is odd to think about. I probably only saw him… twelve to fifteen times in my entire life before I was taken. I do very clearly remember his visits though. It was always such a thrill to see him. He was…" She shook her head, "Very tall and blue and different from everyone else. I adored him. He taught me all sorts of things, like how to speak Cheunh…"

Hux wanted to smack his forehead when she said it. "Oh. That makes sense."

"What?"

"You speak it in your sleep. I've only heard Cheunh a few times before; I wouldn't have recognized it right away."

She tilted her head, "I speak it in my sleep?"

"You do."

"Hm." She blinked a few times. "That is odd."

He waved a hand, "Continue, please. I have… a lot of questions."

"Yes. Anyhow, he spoiled me when he visited, bringing me lots of presents, like books from his home, and various pieces of technology for me to play with and pry apart. I suppose he is entirely responsible for the fact that I was not killed or sold for my body. He really was the source of my early tech-related knowledge." She smiled. "And he brought me that." She pointed to a small potted tree in the corner of the room, barely the height of Hux's shoulders. Hux wondered why he would bring his daughter a potted plant, and realized one of the yellow creatures was clinging to it, its tongue flicking from time to time.

"I named him K'tizo when my father gave him to me. I was... four? Maybe five? When he crawled onto me in the hallway after the interview I was very surprised. I did not know they lived so long. I assumed he had died many years ago. Father tells me he is very old now, for a ysalamir. I am happy to have been reunited with him before he passes though."

She said something in Cheunh and the creature scurried down the tree and onto the bed, curling into her lap. "My mother was never very fond of him. She was always upset with father for bringing him to visit." She paused. "I am sorry, I'm not really answering your question, am I? I'm just rambling about my childhood."

Hux really didn't mind. There was something oddly fascinating about the little stories. He tried to imagine Thrawn presenting a small Oni with the creature, and then getting chastised by her mother.

"I don't know how he managed to keep us hidden from everyone, really. He did not visit often, and when he did he would be gone so quickly… I can't remember too clearly, but it seemed he would only be with us for a few days, and then gone again for months at a time. He was always very concerned that I keep his identity private. I didn't really understand why… I remember hearing them talk about the Empire, and the Ascendancy, but I didn't understand how he was involved with either of them. It all meant nothing to me. The only thing I really understood was that it was very, very important that nobody ever know he was my father." She shook her head, "Nivo is a very small, very homogenous planet. Everyone is human, and everyone has the same dark hair, the same silver eyes." She paused and grinned. "I really have never seen a person with red hair. It is maybe the most fantastic thing I've ever seen."

"I can tell you are sincerely fascinated."

"I hope I haven't offended you… It is a beautiful shade. Is that common among the people here? I haven't seen many of them yet."

"No. Not really."

She was quiet for a moment, then said quickly, "You are very handsome, I think. I am quite pleasantly surprised, I did not know what to expect."

"I'm not sure I trust that evaluation from someone who hasn't seen anything in years, but thank you.

The ysalamir was asleep in her lap, lying on its back with its rather round looking belly exposed. She scratched it and the creature snorted. Hux was still not sold on the idea of them.

"So nobody was to know he was your father… But to be blunt, if your home is as homogenous as you say there's absolutely no way he wasn't known."

"We had a second home, several miles outside of the city. It was near a lake and a mountain; it was quite beautiful from what I remember. He would always meet us there. Does that answer your question? I don't entirely know how he kept us a secret, other than being very cautious."

"You must have had some idea, when I told you we were founded by ex-Imperials… You must have thought there was some possibility he may be part of our organization. Is that why you agreed to join?"

She chewed on her lips for a moment. "My father's involvement with the Empire did have some influence over the decision. I did think that somebody, maybe one of the old Imperial officers working with you, may have some information to help me locate him."

He went to her side, sitting on the bed with her but trying to keep a cautious distance from the sleeping creature. He kissed her cheekbone. "I do not believe in things like fate, or luck, but maybe this was the universe's way of paying you back for having dealt you a slightly unfair hand."

She shook her head, shooing the creature from her lap. It seemed happy to return to its tree. "I do not know how this happened. I… I am still slightly suspicious that I may wake up back aboard that ship at any moment. I do not know how I go from that life to… to you and my father and being able to see again… it's all been very fast. I get dizzy thinking of it."

He pulled her close and kissed her again. This was a lot for him to take in. He could only imagine what it was like for her.

"Can I ask you a question?" She said quietly.

"Of course."

"Does it bother you?" She looked at him, blinking. "That I am only half human?"

Something about the new eyes made him feel that she might be able to see straight through him. Considering technological advancements, she may actually be able to see straight through him. "I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am very surprised." He paused. "But… no. It doesn't bother me. It is… a first for me, I guess. But no, I… I mean you are no different than you were to me a week ago."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." He paused. "Now Brendol… that is another story. But, we can deal with that later."

"Yes… he did not seem happy."

Hux inhaled deeply, still unsure of how to deal with that impeding mess. "Just… Just stay away from him until I can deal with it, okay?"

"I believe I will be stuck here under my doctor's supervision for a few more days, so it should not be an issue."

"If my father approaches you… just don't listen to anything he says, okay? He has very strong opinions. You should ignore them."

"I can manage that." She paused. "Can I…"

"Hm?"

She ran her fingers through the hair near his temple again, and this time he welcomed the gesture. He couldn't help a small laugh at the fascinated smirk on her face. She wrinkled her nose, "I'm sorry, but it is very odd to me."

He kissed her. "I am very happy to have found you again. I was quite worried when you disappeared."

"Oh…" She returned the kiss. He noticed her lids don't hide her eyes anymore – rather, they were open wide, watching him. "I am very sorry about that. I couldn't leave any trace. My father was concerned with my safety, particularly with keeping my identity safe until the surgery was complete."

"Mm. You told me though. I trusted you." Her lips were such a relief after her unannounced absence.

She huddled closer to him, "It will not happen again. I promise."


	12. Chapter 12

Eli had never really thought about Thrawn in a relationship. He'd never even caught the man casting a glance at a female – or male, for that matter.

When he found her - Nev - it struck him that she was just the sort of woman Thrawn would find intriguing. She had a regal air about her – something in the way she carried herself. Her hair was dark and wavy, much like her daughter's, peppered with grey from age and cropped in a short, asymmetrical artistic style.

He found her in the museum Thrawn suggested he check first. She owned the place, apparently. He made a point to go late, in hopes that the museum would be mostly empty and they could have a little privacy. He also dressed in civilian clothing, as to not give himself away right away.

He stood in front of a large, odd looking mural of paint splatters and tried to look like he was pondering the subject. Not that had to really try – it appeared to be just splatters of colors to him. What he was really wondering was why paint splatters belonged on the wall of a museum. He could make paint splatters pretty easily.

Art was really Thrawn's area of expertise, not his.

"This one always intrigues people."

It worked. She stood next to him, looking at the painting. "I find that most people stand here trying to figure out what it is." Her accent was somewhat beautiful, rhythmic and almost musical in nature. He recognized it from Oni. Her eyes were an icy grey color, like everyone else he'd seen on this planet.

"That's exactly what I was doing. I must be an amateur, all I can make out is a bunch of paint splatters."

She smiled at him. "Your perception is more advanced than you give yourself credit for. It really is just a bunch of paint splatters."

"Oh." That was disappointing.

"The piece is more an exercise in knowledge of the medium – it was the artist's way of testing their familiarity with the various viscosities of the paint they used."

"Ah… that's… interesting…"

"I'm always a little fond of this style of art. It takes a truly talented artist to render something beautiful when you remove recognizable forms." She turned to him, holding out a hand. "I'm Nev Sebai, the owner of this museum. We don't see many foreigners around here. Where are you from?"

It was painfully obvious he was a foreigner. Not just because of his accent, but like Thrawn had said, the population on Nivo was incredibly homogeneous, from what he'd seen. Everyone was similar to Nev – pale skin, grey eyes, black hair.

"It is good to meet you, Miss Sebai. I'm from a planet called Lysatra, it's maybe… three days travel from here." He paused and inhaled deeply. This was the difficult part, the part he'd been rehearsing in his ship the entire trip here. "This is going to sound very odd, but I am actually here to speak with you. My name is Eli Vanto…"

He didn't think she knew his name, but the second it rolled out of his mouth it was very evident she knew precisely who he was. Her friendly demeanor quickly dissipated, her arms crossing and her nose rising slightly.

" _Eli Vanto_. That is a name I have not heard in a very long time." She paused, her jaw tight. She was clearly not happy with the revelation. "I assume you are here on behalf of Thrawn. What does he want?"

"I hope that you'll hear out everything that I have to say, ma'am."

"Then do start talking."

"Thrawn is requesting your presence…"

She snorted. "He's _requesting my presence_? I was quite clear last we spoke that I had no desire to speak with him, or to see him, ever again. He's done a remarkably good job of respecting that for nearly two decades. What causes the change of heart all the sudden? Is he dying or something?"

"No, ma'am, he's not dying."

"I cannot imagine what else might be so important that he would defy my wishes. What is it?"

"I will not presume to know what happened between you and Thrawn, ma'am, but I implore you to consider the request. Something of a very important nature has come up and he needs your presence. I understand that you are not fond of him, and he understands that as well. He is not asking to rebuild bridges…"

She threw up a hand to halt him, her eyes narrow. "What is this you keep calling me? Ma'am?"

"Er… yes, it's a polite term for a woman where I'm from…"

"I do not like it. Don't call me that."

"Oh… okay." Direct. He supposed Thawn probably needed someone like that. "My apologies, I did not mean to offend you. Will you please listen to all of what I have to say?"

"Continue." She said it with a tone like she was granting him permission.

"Thrawn left me in the dark as to the details of your relationship, but he directly asked that I make it clear to you that this is not his attempt to rebuild whatever you had. He will respect the space you've asked for, as he has for some time, but wishes for your presence regarding an important matter."

"What is this important matter?"

"I'm unable to disclose the exact nature of it; however he wanted me to place emphasis on its importance as he feels it directly affects you."

"It is important, it is urgent, and he is not dying? I cannot imagine what it could possibly be. Nothing other than death seems important enough for him to defy my request. Maybe you should return to your boss and tell him if he allows you to divulge more detail I might be more inclined to accept his offer."

He wasn't expecting her to be so adamant, or to be so forceful. He's not sure why he didn't expect it, though. Of course Thrawn would have been with a very strong willed woman.

"Uma, did you need help closing down tonight?"

He heard the voice from behind him, distinctly male, and distinctly Chiss. When he turned to look, his mouth fell open.

The boy looked almost unbearably much like Thrawn when he first met him, only slightly younger.

"Oh." The boy smiled politely. "You still have a guest, I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

Okay, the smile was different. Thrawn didn't smile in a friendly fashion. Ever.

"He was about to leave, we can start closing shortly." Nev said flatly.

The boy walked over holding his hand out with a smile, "Baz Sebai, it is good to meet you. Take your time, I don't mean to rush you out."

What really caught Eli off guard was that the boy didn't look even remotely human – he was distinctly Chiss. Both Oni and his daughter were human/Chiss hybrids, and neither looked remotely Chiss, other than the under-eye markings. Baz had the skin and eye color, even the blue-tinted hair.

Eli shook his hand, "Baz… it's good to meet you. I'm Eli Vanto."

"Oh? We don't see many outsiders here, where are you from?"

"Lysatra… small planet, pretty far from here."

"Really? What brings you to Nivo?"

"Just… here on vacation."

"Interesting. Well, do enjoy your stay. As I mentioned, don't feel rushed because of me." He turned to his mother, "I'll be in your office, let me know when you're ready."

"I think I can take care of closing down myself tonight. You can go home. I'll be there shortly."

"Oh… are you certain?"

"Yes."

He paused, then nodded. "Okay." He made his way back to the exit, waving to them, "It was good to meet you, Eli Vanto. I hope you enjoy your time on Nivo."

Neither of them spoke until the exit door closed.

She looked at him with a tight jaw, an eyebrow raised.

"He's… er… very well mannered."

"Thank you." She blinked a few times. "That's it, isn't it? This is a ploy to try and meet my son?" She looked at him sharply, " _You_ will stay away from my son. And return to your boss with this message: I was _very_ clear that we did not need him in our lives, and that has not changed, and it will not change."

He held up his hands to stop her, "Nev… no. That's not what this is at all. He actually wanted me to address the matter of his son…"

" _My_ son." She looked at him with the sort of will that could topple empires. "Baz is _my_ son. Thrawn has had nothing to do with him."

Eli frowned. "Would you… listen to yourself? Do you know what he called Baz? "The boy". The man doesn't even know the name of his own son. Speaking as a father, I can't even imagine how painful that must be. He clearly cares about the boy, but he's respected your request to the point that his son is nearly an adult now and he still doesn't even know his name. But if you must know: no this doesn't have anything to do with him meeting his son. He specifically told me to not press you to allow Baz to come along, that whatever your wishes were regarding the matter should be respected." He paused. "Though to be honest, I don't respect your insistence on keeping the man's own kin from him. I'll honor it, if that's your wish, but I cannot respect that." He shook his head, "I'm not even certain right now why he's requested your presence, considering how cruel you're behaving toward him."

"You did say earlier you wouldn't presume anything in regard to our relationship. Clearly that was a lie."

"You're making a very foolish mistake."

"And you, Eli Vanto, are about to leave my museum, and then you will leave Nivo, and you will not come back and you will not bother me or my son, ever again." She flung a hand toward the exit, then turned and walked away from him. "You may leave now. The exit is right there."

He stayed in a small hotel, a sort of quaint, bed-and-breakfast type place that was in the heart of the small city. The owner was curious about having a foreigner stay. Eli ignored the odd looks and whispers and made his way to the café on the floor level of the old building the next morning.

This mission was a dud. He wasn't one to give up easily, but he was familiar with the sort of person Nev was. She'd made up her mind, and was so dead set in it there was no amount of logic or reasoning or even emotional pleas would get through to her.

For the sake of his friend, he would give it one more try this afternoon. He wasn't hopeful.

He didn't recognize anything on the menu, so he told the waitress to bring him the best thing they made. The young woman disappeared to the back and he seated himself at a small corner table, looking out the window to the snowy street. He could see why Thrawn liked this place. The climate was very similar to Csilla, though not quite as cold. Outside the wind blew the snow around in circles.

There were a few people on the streets, but this time of morning most of them were likely already at their jobs. One person, bundled in a coat and scarf, made their way into the café. The door swung open with a gust of cold air rushed in with the person, along with a reasonable amount of snow.

Unexpectedly, the person slid into the seat across from him.

It wasn't difficult to realize who it was – blue skin and red eyes. Baz smiled at him, nervously, as he pulled the scarf off. "Eli Vanto. It is good to see you again. I was hoping to speak with you."

"Er… Don't you have… classes or something?" This was a bad situation; he needed to defuse it immediately.

"Hm? No." He paused. "Well, yes, but this is slightly more important." He flagged the waitress down and asked her for two cups of caf.

"Oh… I didn't know you all had caf here…"

"On Nivo? Yes, of course, I take it you have it where you're from?"

"Er… yes. Thank you for ordering one for me, I was a little… overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar items on the menu."

"Oh… It wasn't for you, but that's okay, I'll order a third." He motioned for the waitress again.

"Uh… is your mother joining us?" He tried his best to not sound somewhat frightened by the prospect.

A crooked smile fought onto Baz's lips, "Ha... no. Sorry. I just drink a lot of caf. They make them sort of small here so I order two."

"Oh. I see."

It was the eeriest thing he'd ever seen, and he'd seen many eerie things in his lifetime. It was like talking to a young Thrawn with human mannerisms. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

The waitress was quick, bringing over their three cups of caf, along with his plate of food, which he was starting to sincerely regret ordering. The last thing he needed to do was have breakfast with the boy.

"Look… Baz… I don't know…"

"You know my father, don't you?"

The look on his face was so sincerely curious; it tore Eli apart a little.

"I thought my mother was acting odd around you last night, but when I shook your hand I noticed…" He tapped his wrist.

Damn it, he should have been better about hiding it. When he and Thrawn had officially been committed to the Seventh Fleet he'd made a rash, young-minded (and alcohol fueled) decision to get the emblem tattooed on his wrist.

The boy dug into the bag he'd brought with him and pulled out a familiar looking old comlink. Thrawn's old comlink, likely long dead now, but with the symbol engraved on it.

"My mother doesn't like to talk about him, but I found this in a box of things she tried to throw away several years ago… I assumed it was likely his."

He hesitated. "Listen. Baz. I really can't discuss this with you. Your mother made it clear that she doesn't want me speaking with you, and Thrawn made it clear I was to honor her wishes in any matter that involved you."

The boy looked at him quietly for a moment. "Thrawn? Is that his name?"

Fuck. That was crushing. Nev hadn't even bothered to tell him his father's name.

"Look, I'm not asking you to relay messages or anything of that sort. I just… I don't know anything about him. I'm just curious, I'd hoped you'd be willing to speak with me a little. Please?"

He inhaled deeply. Was there really any harm in telling the boy a few stories about his father? "What do you know about him?"

Baz shrugged, "Nothing. I didn't even know his name until you said it. I've pressed pretty hard for information over the years. She told me he was in the Imperial navy, and that he wasn't human, that he was… a Chiss? Is that the right word? But that's about the extent of it. I've run across a few photos that have him in them. He looks like me. I mean… I always sort of assumed he did since I… obviously… look nothing like my mother. And I've found a few language books that she tried to throw away, they were children's books, I guess he'd given them to my sister. I assume that must be the Chiss language. There were also a few recordings of the language, I sort of taught myself what I could from it, it seemed sort of interesting to me."

Eli didn't even know where to begin. That left an ocean of blanks to fill in.

Baz played with the old comlink, running his fingers over the insignia. "What is this? It's not the mark of the Empire, I've never been able to find records of it anywhere."

"It was the insignia of your father's Imperial fleet. The Seventh Fleet."

"Oh. You were part of the Seventh Fleet as well?"

How could he even begin? Thrawn wasn't _part_ of the seventh fleet, he was the _foundation_ of it. Maybe it was best to not let him see the full scope of it. It would be like telling the kid his father was a celebrity. It was too much to start with. "I was… and still am… your father's assistant. Wherever he went, I went."

"So… he's alive?"

"He is."

"When did you meet him?"

Eli sighed. _This_ was a story to tell. "Thrawn was in his mid twenties when we met. I was about your age. I was stationed on the Outer Rim, investigating unknown planets. We came across your father on this uninhabited planet, he was stranded there…"

His breakfast went cold while he related the story.

Nev's face dropped when she saw him. He'd waited until it was late again, so they had some privacy.

Unfortunately, Baz was there as well, looking sheepish. Eli had spent nearly four hours relating stories to the boy before he had to cut the conversation short. He would have loved to tell him more, but he did need to maintain some semblance of honoring Thrawn's request.

"What are you doing back here?"

"I had one last…"

"You have expressly violated my instructions that you leave my son alone." She looked furious. Baz mentioned he wouldn't say anything to his mother about their conversation, but evidently she'd gotten it out of him somehow. "And by in part, I believe that means you have violated Thrawn's request as well. Leave now. You will not convince me that I should go see that man…"

He inhaled loudly, "Yes, I'm not here to convince you of anything. I was going to try again, but after speaking with Baz this morning, I decided I'd already achieved the most good I could here. You are too stubborn to change your mind about something like this. At least now, your son knows his father's name. And a little about him."

"Ah. Very well then. Congratulations. Please leave."

"There is one more thing though. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, but Thrawn asked that I return something to you." He motioned to the main entryway, where he'd propped a large, wrapped canvas against the wall. "He said this was yours, it belonged with you."

She frowned at him for a moment, then went to the canvas. She tore the edge of the wrapping, exposing a brightly colored painting beneath. Her son stepped next to her, "Is that one of yours?"

She held up a hand sharply, cutting him off. "You are not to speak. I'm still quite upset with you."

He looked like he wanted to suck the words back into his mouth.

Nev scowled at the painting quietly for several moments.

"Right. Well, I'm off then." Eli made his way to the exit. "Baz, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'm really happy we had the opportunity to speak."

"You leave tomorrow morning, you said?" Nev asked, looking at the painting with an expression that made him wonder how it hadn't spontaneously combusted yet.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I won't ever be back to pester you again." Oni could make her way here when she was ready. It wasn't worth fighting this woman.

She turned to him, her arms crossed. "We will be there. How long should we expect to be gone?"

He froze, caught completely off guard. Why had she just completely changed her mind so quickly? "Er… both of you?"

"Yes. Thrawn did say that was entirely at my discretion, correct? We will both accompany you back."

Next to her, the boy had his hand over his mouth. His eyes couldn't hide the expression though – excitement.

"Ah… right. Great. Okay. It will take us three and a half days to reach our destination. I'm not certain how long you will want to stay, but I'm certain you will be welcome as long as you want."

She nodded stiffly. "Very well. We will see you tomorrow, Eli Vanto. Baz, come help close the museum."


	13. Chapter 13

Hux jerked awake to someone shaking him. He was confused for a moment, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. He was in her hospital room, sitting on her bed with his back to the wall. She was asleep, her head resting in his lap.

The old man waved a hand in front of his face, "Boy. Hey."

Boy. He was 25. Not 12.

It was the old man, the grey haired doctor who had greeted he and Thrawn when they entered the med bay. Hux wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he couldn't have been out more than an hour. "Hm? I'm sorry…"

The man shook his head, looking mildly irritated, "I'm about to close down for the evening. Thrawn told me to let you stay as long as you like, but I doubt you want to spend your evening locked in here."

He looked down at her, fast asleep in his lap.

The old man rolled his eyes. "Then again, I may be wrong about that."

Hux slid his legs out from under her carefully, replacing them with a pillow. She was upside down on the bed, with no covers, but sleeping soundly he thought it will most likely not be an issue. "Will someone be here? If she wakes, she'll want to know where I am."

"If she does wake up, nobody is likely to be here. But she does have a button to alert medical staff if she needs attention. If she panics, I'm sure she will use it. I'll make sure anyone on call knows what to tell her."

"Thank you. I do appreciate that."

"I suppose you will also want to know when we open back up for the day. I should be back here in about eight hours. You are welcome to return then. Some of my staff may arrive a little earlier. You can certainly try before I return, but I cannot guarantee you access to her."

Hux nodded, "Yes, I understand." He glanced to her. "Did you perform the surgery?"

"Yes. Thrawn and I are old friends. He called me in to perform the surgery."

"Oh? Are you with the Ascendancy?"

He shook his head, "No. I daresay I am a little too old to have dedicated myself to another cause."

"So you were part of the Empire?"

"Yes, though it seems like a lifetime ago. I met Thrawn a few weeks after he joined the Empire. I served as the lead medic on his ships for many years, until I chose to retire from service."

"You left before the Empire crumbled?"

The man looked irritated with his questions, however he seemed to be generally irritated by Hux's presence. "Yes, I worked with Thrawn for maybe a five… six years. I left to further my studies on my own. Felt that the Empire was limiting my experience."

"That's interesting. What did you do after that?"

He shrugged, checking over some of the machines monitoring her. "Traveled, mostly. I have always had an interest in the biological similarities between humans and humanoid species. Which may have been why Thrawn always thought of me as a friend." He glanced to the girl, "And why he had me deliver her."

"Oh… Oh. You delivered her?"

The man snorted, "Yes. Thrawn insisted. I've never seen the man nervous before or sense, but when he realized he'd gotten a human woman pregnant and had no idea if the biological differences would be disastrous for his child… He was very concerned." He glanced to Hux, "But you never heard that from me."

Hux nodded, his head still light from having been woken up. "I suppose I can understand his concern. I had no idea it was possible for Chiss and humans to reproduce."

"Hm. Neither did I. Or he. Or anyone, for that matter. I'd never seen another documented case at that time."

He and the doctor walked to the door, closing her in and heading for the med bay exit.

"Really? So she was the only one?" It seemed like an incredibly lonely prospect.

The doctor paused at the door, blinking at him for a few moments. "Well… yes, for a few years at least. Has she not mentioned that her mother was pregnant when she was taken?"

"She did. She thought her unborn sibling was killed in the bombing along with her mother."

The man inhaled deeply, waving the question away, "Yes, well she was wrong on a few counts there. But that is another story for a better time. There is too much bad blood surrounding the situation. It would be wrong of me to speak of it."

Hux took that as his queue to stop asking questions – though it was a terrible queue. It made so many more questions pop up. He nodded to the man, "Thank you, Doctor. I don't think I caught your name?"

"Enos Worth."

He shook the man's hand, "Doctor Worth. Thank you, for taking such good care of her."

"Hm. Well, it is my job. And your name?"

"Commander Armitage Hux."

He raises an eyebrow, "Commander?"

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty five."

"Ah… well, older than I thought, but you're still quite young for a Commander. No wonder Thrawn is okay with you being around his daughter."

Hux didn't feel like there was is any appropriate response to that.

"Well, Commander, have a good evening. I am sure I will see you tomorrow morning."

Hux nodded, watching as the old man shuffled away, down the hallway.

He was happy to see her smiling at him from the bed when he came by the next day.

"Good morning!"

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes… quite well, actually. I do think the new eyes have helped. It feels like some sort of pressure has been relieved." She nodded to the old doctor Hux had spoken with the prior evening. "They must fit better than the old ones."

He old man frowned. "Yes, to say the least. I have half a mind to think the assholes that put those things in your head just used whatever they could find, regardless of a proper fit. Quite frankly, their compete disregard for proper fit makes me surprised that you were at least lucky enough to get two eyes that were the same size, even if they were the wrong size."

She grinned at him. "This must be why my father likes you so much."

"Why? Because I'm competent enough to do a decent job?"

"No, because you're honest."

Hux caught the man laughing a little as he left.

They chatted for a few hours, interrupted from time to time by Worth checking in on her. He performed a few vision checks and read charts Hux didn't understand, and then disappeared.

She was trying to get him to hold the yellow creature when Thrawn appeared to check in on her. Hux welcomed the distraction – he had no interest in befriending the furry, scaled creature.

Hux stood when Thrawn entered the room, "Sir."

"Good to see you here, Commander." He paused. "Would you mind if I spoke with Oni privately for a few moments?"

Hux shook his head, "No. Not at all." He exited the room quickly, closing the door behind him.

Worth shook his head when he saw Hux. "That man… he won't even speak to her with me around."

"Oh?"

"My theory is that he's quite fond of her and doesn't want anyone to see him behaving tenderly toward someone." He paused. "That would ring true with everything I've ever known of the man."

Hux didn't really blame Thrawn for this. In his position, appearances were of the utmost importance. Some things were best kept behind closed doors.

Sometime later, Thrawn exited the room. He looked at Worth, "She seems to be doing well."

Worth nodded. "Yes. I would feel comfortable letting her leave tomorrow. She's made a fast recovery."

"This may be a good conversation to have with me in the room." She stood in the doorway, leaning against the side.

"Yes. Though, I want you back here daily for checkups for another week."

She smiled at him, "That sounds fantastic to me. I would like to get out of this room."

"Growing tired of my company?"

"I don't know what would make you think that, Doctor. Your stories of working on old Imperial ships are absolutely riveting. Do tell me again about the time half the crew of your ship came down with a flu and you had to start converting storage rooms into medical bed rooms?"

Hux was privy to this story earlier in the day, after which Oni informed him that Worth had now told her the story four times.

Evidently he knew he was guilty of it, because he hid a chuckle behind his hand. He pointed to Thrawn, "That, she gets from her mother. You have absolutely no sense of humor."

Thrawn seemed to almost smile, and dismissed himself.


	14. Chapter 14

Baz listened to the two voices bickering on the other side of the door. He considered entering… something in him wanted to very, very badly. But at the same time, some part of him was equally terrified by the idea of meeting the man on the other side of the door.

"Well, you didn't entirely give us a choice to not come, did you?" His mother had always been a sharp-tempered woman, but he'd never heard her like this before, but this was something entirely different from what he'd seen before.

"Nev, I have left you alone for nearly 18 years…"

He'd never heard the man's voice before. It was deep, even and soothing, with an unusual accent.

"You have. So what happened that suddenly brings you back into our lives? Hm?"

He almost felt a little bad for the man. She was on fire.

"You behave as though I left you out of some malicious intent. I left because you told me you did not want me in either of your lives. I have respected that request…"

"Yes. And thank you for that. What could possibly cause the sudden change in heart? We were getting along perfectly fine before you decided to wedge yourself back into our lives…"

"Nev, I have a son who I have never met. I don't even know his name. I have respected you enough to not even request information, though trust me, I have wanted to know. You think I would have brought you here just to get back into your lives?"

"Probably not. Are you dying? Is that it? This is some last-ditch effort to make amends and get to know your son?"

It was a little harsh, Baz thought. But then, maybe the man deserved it. He knew little of their prior relationship, other than the few things he'd managed to eke out of his mother over the years. He rocked back on his heels, wondering whether he should enter. It didn't seem like a good time. But then, was there ever a good time to walk into a room and introduce yourself to your father? Probably not.

He was lost in his thoughts for a moment when the door slid open next to him and someone walked through.

The man wore an all white uniform, with a high collar and gold epaulets on the shoulders. His hair was groomed back neatly, shoulders pinched back in perfect posture.

He glanced to Baz as he passed, then did a double take, freezing in his tracks.

To be fair, Baz was at least as surprised as he was. He'd spent his entire life thus far on Nivo, and had never before seen another person that looked like him. Chiss – Vanto had confirmed the name for him – with blue skin and red eyes. He wondered if he was supposed to offer a hand shake. Something about that felt too official and at the same time not nearly sufficient.

"My name is Baz." He decided that was probably more appropriate than a handshake, considering what he'd just overheard in the next room.

The man opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again. Baz didn't blame him for not knowing what to say. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one that felt completely clueless in this situation.

He opened his mouth again, finding something to say, "It is good to meet you, Baz. You may call me Thrawn."

Baz leaned to the open doorway, looking out to the spot they were arguing. His mother had disappeared. "She left?"

"Yes. She was a little… perturbed. I didn't realize you were back here."

Baz was starting to get a headache from all the questions piling up in his mind.

Thrawn glanced out the main area of the small ship, were had been arguing. "Is she usually like that now?"

"No. Not really. This trip has made her abnormally temperamental."

He nodded. "It is good to know that isn't normal."

Baz supposed he could appreciate that Thrawn wanted to know his mother hadn't been completely destroyed since he left. "Do you know where she went?"

"No. I don't think she knows where she's gone to either. I think she just wanted to be away from me."

"Ah. I should go find her then."

Thrawn inhaled deeply. "Yes. That would be a good idea."

The man walked with him to the exit. Baz managed to push one big question out of his mouth. "What exactly did you bring us here for?"

Thrawn didn't respond for a moment. "You will have a much easier time getting her to follow than I will. Can you coax her down that hallway to the left? You need to go to the last door on the left."

"Er… yeah. I think I can."

"Thank you. If you get lost, just ask any of my crew for directions. They will be happy to help."

"Oh. This is _your_ ship?"

"Yes."

"I thought this was your ship." He shrugged to the one they were standing on.

"They both are."

"Oh. You have two ships?"

The man blinked at him. "I have several."

"Oh. That's… neat." So he had a fleet. He must have been high ranking. The white uniform did make him look very important. Baz scanned the hangar, "I'll take her there once I'm able to find her. You…" He paused, looking at the man. "Look, I don't know much about you. She doesn't speak of you much. But… you don't strike me as a bad person. I think the circumstances at the time are probably largely what caused you two to… go different paths. I can trust you, right? This isn't some… malicious thing, is it?"

He watched him desperately for a reaction; he was incredibly difficult to read. Baz couldn't tell if the man was confused or offended or just listening to what he was saying. And then a little something broke. He bowed his head. Baz wasn't sure what it meant, but it was something. "Yes, of course you can trust me."

Without another word, he strode away into the larger ship.

Baz had to pause for a moment as he stepped off the ship. The crew was mostly Chiss. It was momentarily mind boggling - he never imagined there were so many others who looked like he did.

He found his mother near the entry to the ship, watching ships come and go through the forcefield. She leaned against the wall, smoking. She almost never smoked – only when she was under a great deal of stress.

"Mother."

"I'm sorry I let that bastard drag us here. I should have told that Vanto man to leave us." She flicked the cigarette with a measured amount of anger.

He inhaled deeply. "Let's walk a little bit. If we're here… we may as well see some things."

"Mm. Yes, I suppose."

"Do I need to point out that this is the first time I've even been off Nivo?" He shrugged, "I know the circumstances aren't ideal, but cut me a bit of a break. I'd like to at least look around before we go back home."

"Mm."

He took that as a yes, and linked his arm to hers, nearly dragging her along back into the hangar. "It looked like there was some art on the walls down this hallway. We should go look."

"Hm." His mother frowned a little.

The hallway was well lit, with the occasional piece of artwork hanging between doors. "Do you suppose it's their artwork? Chiss?"

"It is not," Thrawn appeared next to them, much to his mother's clear dismay. "They are all pieces from my personal collection, gathered from various cultures. Nev, I have a few of your pieces hanging around the ship. In my office and personal quarters thought. I consider them far too valuable to publicly display."

She scowled at him, "Not like the one you tried to give back to me?"

A smile played on his lips. Baz suddenly understood: the return of the paining was a deliberate decision. Thrawn knew exactly how offended she'd be, and that she'd feel the need to personally let him know. "Please, walk with me for a few moments." He glanced to Baz. "Both of you."

"I see no reason for us to…"

"Mother…"

She looked at him.

He shrugged, "It can't hurt, can it? Just for a few minutes? If he brought us this far he must have something worth saying."

She turned her nose up a bit. "Fine. A few minutes. Then we can discuss how you intend on returning us to our home, Thrawn."

Thrawn nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder to direct her back in the direction they were walking. She shrugged it off defensively, "Don't touch me."

Baz definitely felt bad for the man. She was acting like a child. Though, he also felt bad for his mother. This behavior was very unusual for her. She must have been very deeply wounded by him.

He didn't attempt to touch her again, but rather started walking. Baz ushered his mother along.

"So… you're an art collector?" Baz asked.

Thrawn glanced back over his shoulder. "Yes, something like that. It's been an interest of mine since I was young."

He was about to ask: _Is that how you met?_ But that question was a bomb – it would have set his mother off. So he kept his mouth shut.

Thrawn paused at an open doorway and motioned for them to enter. They stepped through first, into what appeared to be some sort of medical center. Three doors lead to what he assumed were patient's rooms.

An incredibly odd place to bring your estranged lover and illegitimate son. But then, this entire thing was strange.

Thrawn hesitated for a moment. "I am very glad you both came."

"Mm. My only hope now is that you'll actually follow through and tell us why the hell you brought us here." She looked up at him dully, with her arms crossed.

"Nev, if you would just calm down for a few moments…"

" _Don't_ tell me to calm down…"

Baz looked away, not wanting anything to do with the situation. The three rooms all had windows, two of which were dark. Evidently this was not a busy med bay. The first window, the one directly in front of them, was lit. Inside, an old, grey haired man his hunched over a patient, checking something on her face.

"Oi. Is that Doctor Worth?"

Baz hadn't seen the man in nearly five years – he used to make regular visits to Nivo to check in with Baz. The doctors on Nivo were leery of taking on a patient with different biology than a human (though Worth had always spat at the idea, he claimed that Baz's biology was nearly identical to human biology. Baz isn't sure if he believed the man, but he appreciated the sentiment).

The bickering behind him stopped for a moment, followed by a ferocious tone he'd never heard from his mother before. "You are some sort of sick bastard."

"Nev!" Baz turned to the two just in time to see Thrawn catch his mother's swing at him.

He'd _never_ known his mother to be violent before. Baz pulled her away from him quickly, "Mother… stop. What are you…"

"What the fuck is this supposed to be, Thrawn? Some sort of sick joke? You bring me all the way here just to… to…" Her eyes filled with tears, but Baz was afraid that if he let her go she'd attack Thrawn again.

"Nev!" The man's mouth hung open for a moment, at a complete loss for words, "Why would I do such a thing? Have you ever known me to be so cruel? Of course this is not a joke! Would you like to see the tests? I didn't believe it myself when I first saw her. I had my people run DNA tests." He pointed to the room, " _That is her_. That is our daughter, I promise you."

Baz looked to the room. Worth was just stepping away from the patient.

His mother spoke with relative frequency about his sister. She had died shortly before he was born, in a bombing that had flattened their home city. The tragic event was what had torn the two apart shortly before his birth. His sister was buried in a local cemetery. He'd been to it many, many times. His mother went to it even more frequently than he did.

The woman in the room had a striking resemblance to his mother. Unlike him, she looked very much human. Her hair was dark and frizzy, sticking out from her face at a slightly quirky angle. Her face was quite similar, with the same pretty, square-ish shape. Her eyes were even the same wide, round shape as his mother's, though rather than being grey they were solid black in the same way that his were solid red.

He'd seen other Chiss as they walked Thrawn's ship – they all had red eyes. Maybe this was some odd result of mixing a human and a Chiss? It looked very odd, almost unnerving, like her eye sockets were empty.

Nev seemed to calm a little, so he let her go. Worth was looking through the glass at them, his mouth hanging open a little.

Baz waved. He wasn't sure what else he should do.

Worth flung the door open quickly, entering into the main room with them. "Thrawn… you didn't mention they were coming here."

Thrawn shrugged a little, "It was supposed to be a surprise."

Inside the room, the girl remained seated on the bed, looking out at them with her head tilted to the side, a crease in her brow. She was dressed in a loosely fitted dress that hung to the middle of her calves, with a wide cut neckline exposing her collar bone. There was some sort of marking on he left clavicle.

She stood, and he could see she was built very long and lean. She clearly did not get her height from their mother, who stood barely shoulder height to Baz, but her lanky build did come from Nev.

She made her way out to the main room, poking her head through the door almost cautiously at first. The black eyes made it difficult to tell exactly what she was looking at, but she seemed to be focused on his mother.

His mother, standing between he and Thrawn, looked utterly paralyzed, and was nearly in tears. Like she couldn't quite let herself believe this might actually be happening. Baz couldn't blame her for that – he could barely believe this might actually be happening.

The girl moved closer. "I… seem to remember you being much taller, but I suppose you were. Relatively."

His mother blinked rapidly.

The girl looked at Thrawn, "You didn't say you were bringing her here."

"I sent a ship for her as soon as your initial interview was complete."

She blinked at him a few times. "Thank you." She turned her attention back to his mother, "I… I am sorry to have been away so long. And to have reappeared like this. It must seem terribly odd to you." The girl bounced on her heels for a moment, looking incredibly nervous, "I didn't want to go back to Nivo because I thought you had surely died in the bombing, but now that you are here can I please give you a hug?" She didn't really wait for an answer; rather she wrapped his mother in a tight embrace.

It was really a remarkably odd moment, watching the two of them. This was his sister. His sister who was buried in the cemetery just on the outskirts of town. This was her, live in the flesh, on her knees sobbing into his mother's shoulder.

He wondered how he was supposed to feel now that he had a living sister. He was quite happy for his mother, who had her face buried in the girl's frizzy mess of hair (he was certain she was crying as well).

Thrawn, he noticed, had slowly backed to the door. He was about to step out when that same unfamiliar, terribly frightening tone came from his mother: "Thrawn!"

He froze in the doorway. That tone was enough to paralyze anyone it was directed toward.

With one arm still around the girl, his mother pointed at Thrawn in a very threatening manner, "You are not going anywhere. You are _not_ getting out of this."

Worth, chuckling, made his way to Baz's side, looking at Thrawn. "I do agree with the woman…" He paused at Baz. "It's good to see you again, boy."

Baz nodded, smiling because he didn't know what else to do. "Yes, it's good to see you as well." He'd known that Worth knew his father, he'd pressed the man for details about him when he was much younger. Worth was reluctant to give any details, which was incredibly frustrating at the time, but he'd grown to respect the decision over the years. His mother made it quite clear she wanted his father to have no influence over his life, and the doctor had respected that despite clearly having a friendship with Thrawn. It couldn't have been an easy position to take.

"Where… where did you find her?" The two were still stuck in an embrace in the middle of the room.

"I didn't," Thrawn said simply. "She was found by an officer of another military organization the Ascendancy is considering allying with. It was a stroke of luck that I happened to read his report and see he had found a young woman claiming to be Oni Sabai from Nivo. I really didn't believe it until I heard her speak."

"And K'tizo recognized me." The girl sniffled, laughing.

K'tizo. The word seemed familiar. It must be Cheunh . Maybe the name of a Chiss working under Thrawn?

"That _thing_ is still alive?" His mother's tone bordered on disgust.

He hoped it wasn't a person.

"Where have you been? All this time… where were you?" His mother ran her hand through the girl's hair. "And what happened to your eyes?"

"Oh…" The girl sniffed again, "Oh dear. There are so many things for me to explain…"

"Now may not be the best time for that," Thrawn said quickly.

She backed away from his mother, wiping her eyes. "Yes, that can be discussed later. Oh." The girl looked at him. "Oh."

His mother was wiping at her eyes as well, "Oh, yes I'm so sorry I'm completely a mess right now. Oni…" her voice caught, "… this is your brother. Baz."

"Oh." She blinked at him with huge, shiny black eyes. The more she looked at him, the surer he became that she could see through him. She walked to him, with even more caution than when she had approached his mother. "Your name is Baz?"

"Um. Yes. Hello."

Her head bobbed oddly. "I… I never got to meet you. Mother was very pregnant with you when I was taken."

"Oh." This easily took the cake as the strangest conversation he'd ever had.

"I had hoped for a sister, but I suppose I can settle for this."

He laughed at the comment, not entirely sure if she was joking or not. Either way, it was funny.

A little smirk ran across her face. She was joking." Can I…" She reached out toward him then paused.

"What?"

She placed a hand on either side of his face and looked at him. There was an awkward silence – evidently everyone was as surprised by the gesture as he was. He could hear a faint whirring.

"Are your eyes bionic?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. This is terribly awkward, but they are new and I'm still learning to use them."

"Oh." It felt slightly less awkward now.

Her eyes whirred as they focused on him. "Oh… You look so much like him." She blinked quickly. "You look exactly like I remember him looking before I was taken. A little younger, but… very, very much like him."

Looking back at her, he realized that she has inherited a few things from their father – her eyes were rimmed in black, and she had the same red markings under her eyes.

"It is not quite fair." She dropped her hands from his face, crossing her arms, "I wished so badly I would be blue like our father when I was younger. Genetics are quite odd – you ended up with it and I did not."

He laughed again. The idea of having a sister was slowly growing on him. She was somewhat quirky and odd. He liked her.

"You may have come at the most inopportune time, boy."

Baz looked at Worth, thinking he was speaking to him, but realized he'd moved to the door, where a tall man in a dark uniform stood, looking a little confused. He saw Baz and did a double take. Baz wasn't remotely offended by the gesture – it made him feel slightly better about his exact same reaction to the man. He had bright red hair. He'd never seen such a thing on a person before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Armitage!" She bounced a little and pointed at Baz. "I have a brother!"

The man looked as though he'd just walked in on a top-secret meeting and one of the attendees was offering him cookies. "Oh. Er. Hello."

He offered his hand and Baz shook it, "My name is Baz."

"Commander Armitage Hux." He was looking at Oni like he needed some guidance.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him to Nev, "And this is my mother."

"Oh. It's good to meet you, ma'am."

As he shook her hand, he noticed his mother's eyes narrow a little. "My name is Nev. Nev Sebai."

Oni bounced again. "Armitage is the one who found me and brought me back here. Well, he and his crew did."

Whatever expression was on her face disappeared quickly. "Oh. You did?"

"Technically yes, though it's a bit of a long story. I think she helped me and my crew a great deal more than we helped her."

"Eh." She waved a hand at the man like she was trying to shoo him away. "He undersells what he did. If it were not for him I would still be in a very bad situation. And he has been a very good… friend… since bringing me here."

His mother's eyes narrowed at the man once more. Oni looked a little pink, still gripping the man's arm.

"Hm. I think I understand."

He wanted to laugh at his mother's expression. She was watching the Commander so closely it was comical. He imagined it was something of a surprise to not just find her long lost daughter, but to find her a fully grown adult with a _friend_.

His mother waved a hand, "I do think you probably have a very long story to tell… And I have a good deal of questions for you." She looked to Thrawn, "Is there somewhere we can speak that's less…clinical?"

"There is a small lounge area attached to my personal office, you are welcome to use it. I do think it would be a good place for a more in depth conversation." He paused, looking at Nev. "I would like to speak with you privately for a few moments, Nev. That is, if you are willing."

His mother's tone toward him had changed entirely. "Yes, that's probably a good idea."

"Commander, would you mind directing these two there? You are, of course, welcome to join us. Given your participation in Oni's rescue, you may have some valuable input for us."

The young Commander gave a short nod, "I'm afraid I only stopped by to see that her check up went well. I have important work matters I need to attend to - a few other Commanders and I are spending the day consulting with your weapons department. But I have time to escort them."

"Very well. Thank you for taking them."

"I would," The young man added quickly, looking at Nev like he needed permission, "be more than happy to speak with you once I've completed my work for the day."

His mother gave him a toothy grin – she looked like a predator about to snap at its prey. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Why don't you find us when you're done?"


	15. Chapter 15

The Commander led he and Oni through the hallways of Thrawn's ship.

"Do you still have the cabin?" Oni asked so quietly he almost didn't hear her. "The one by the lake? Did she keep it?"

"The cabin? Yeah. Mother and I live in the city, but visit it from time to time. Nev…" He hesitated, not sure how much he should say. "Nev hasn't ever been there, that I've known of. She avoids it." When he was young, he thought it was terribly strange that they owned a beautiful cabin just outside the city, next to a frozen lake, and never used it. He'd started sneaking out to it in his early teens. When he ran across a stack of old photos – a man in his 30's, with blue skin and red eyes just like Baz, and a little girl with black hair and grey eyes like his mother, both in the cabin – he'd realized why she couldn't bear to be there.

Oni frowned, "Oh. I suppose that would make sense. There would be a good deal of painful memories there. Did she open a new museum? After the bombing?"

"Yes, yes she did. We've expanded it quite a bit in the past few years. She's been really pouring her support into younger artists."

"Oh! That is good to hear."

Baz found himself watching the back of the Commander's head. He sort of couldn't help it.

Evidently, he wasn't as subtle as he'd hoped to be about it. Oni leaned to him and said quietly: "Isn't his hair color completely strange?"

"Er… yes I was just thinking that."

The man glanced over his shoulder at them. They hadn't been quiet enough.

"Sorry." He offered a quick apology. "Everyone where I'm from has dark hair."

"So I have heard. She was quite surprised by it as well."

"Is it… natural?"

The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if to say: _Do I look like the sort of person to artificially color my hair?_ "Yes. It is."

"Hm. Is that common here?"

He was beginning to look mildly irritated. "No, not really."

By his side, Oni was smiling, watching the man somewhat dreamily. "It is a beautiful shade, isn't it?"

He laughed a little at her expression. He was beginning to form a picture of the relationship between these two. She was utterly smitten with him.

"Er... Commander?" He felt odd calling the man by his title, but didn't know if using his actual name would be appropriate.

The young officer blinked at him, seemingly surprised by the use of his title. "Yes? You can call me Hux, if you'd prefer."

"Ah, thank you. Hux. How long have you worked here?"

"I'm not actually with the Chiss defense fleet. I work on the base on the planet below us, with the First Order. You've probably noticed quite a few of us on the ship - we have a few different divisions aboard Thrawn's ship today. We've been assessing a potential alliance."

"Oh. So how's that going?"

Hux gave him an odd look for some reason he didn't understand. "Well, I assume." He cleared his throat, "You don't know much about your father, do you?"

Baz shook his head, "No. I'm afraid my mother never spoke of him much."

Hux hesitated, mulling over words for a moment, "Your father was once one of the most powerful men in the Empire, toward the end of its days."

"Oh?" Baz didn't know what to think of that. It was certainly impressive. He'd never been entirely fond of Empire, from what he'd read in old history books, but then his knowledge was limited. Nivo was a very self-sufficient planet that rarely interacted with the outside world.

"He's regarded by many as one of the greatest minds the Empire ever saw. I, personally, am of the opinion that had he been given more control over the Empire's military we might actually still see the Empire around today." He sniffed. "My point is, I have a very deep respect for the man and actually made an effort to model my own career after his."

"Oh." Baz felt some small thought itching at the back of his mind. It was a terrible thing to think, but could this man be using the affection of Oni to further his own career? He stored the thought in the back of his mind and decided to observe the two closer.

They wandered down a few long hallways until they reached what he assumed was Thrawn's office. It was decorated with art – one piece in particular caught his attention. He walked to it, looking closer.

"Thrawn claimed that was his favorite piece in his collection." Hux offered.

"Did he really?"

"Yes. I asked him what it was, but he didn't tell me. He said that my interpretation of the piece was the only thing that really mattered."

Baz glanced back to Hux. He appeared to be holding back laughter. Hux didn't strike him as an art connoisseur– he probably found Thrawn's statement quite odd. Baz didn't entirely disagree with Thrawn's assertion, though. He looked back to the piece.

"It's interesting he should mention that. It's my mother's work."

"Oh. Really?"

"She has a very distinct style. This is definitely something she did when she was younger. She doesn't use such vibrant colors anymore."

Hux squinted at the piece for a moment. "Interesting. Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I do need to return to work. Baz, it's been a pleasure to meet you. I will most likely see you again this evening."

Baz shook his hand, still not sure if he should trust this man. "Yes, it was a pleasure to meet you as well. I look forward to seeing you again."

Hux said something quietly to Oni, and then disappeared out the door.

Oni joined him at the painting, "She doesn't use bright colors anymore?"

He shook his head, "Very rarely, at least. The only pieces I've seen like this are hanging in museums. Her newer works are more muted."

Oni seemed saddened by this news. "Oh."

It occurred to Baz that it was very sad. There was a sort of stark turning point in Nev's style that coincided with the loss of her first child. He wondered if it would change again, maybe back to the way it was, now that she knew her daughter was alive.

Outside the office, he could hear two low voices. One was Hux, the other he didn't recognize.

Next to him, Oni frowned.

The voices outside grew harsher. They were just loud enough for him to make out:

" _Really_ , Armitage? This entire affair was so ill conceived from the beginning..."

"I'm not requesting your approval." Hux's voice hissed back.

"I thought you might at least have the decency to quit fucking around with her once you found out she's a damned half-breed…"

Baz glanced to Oni. She just frowned deeply, looking toward the voices but not really making any reaction. Baz was used to taking such insults himself, but for some reason the term bothered him very deeply when applied to Oni.

"Do _not_ speak of her like that." Hux's voice was nearly unrecognizable. "I have not asked for your approval, I haven't even asked for your discretion in who you speak to about her. At this point, the only thing I have asked is for you to leave her alone. Say what you want about me, but you will _not_ speak about her in such a manner."

"I suppose the only glimmer of hope in this situation is that she is at least politically advantageous for you. Is that your real motivation here? If that's the case I suppose I do understand slightly better, though I'm sure you could find another advantageous woman who isn't related to that species-confused blue bastard."

"It might be slightly easier for me to speak with you if you weren't trying so hard to be a complete asshole. You do realize you're on his ship, surrounded by his people? Watch what you say. What if someone overhears you? You'd be responsible for ruining any potential alliance. Sloane would be livid."

"The majority of these aliens don't even know Basic. And it may be easier for me to speak with _you_ if you didn't behave like a weak-willed, ignorant child." He heard footsteps and a tall, older gentleman passed in front of the doorway. He looked to be about the same age as Thrawn, maybe slightly older, and had graying red hair.

The man froze when he saw Baz, frowning. "What the hell is this? Another of Thrawn's _spawns_?" He shook his head and disappeared down the hallway.

Hux returned to them, rubbing his forehead. Oni looked concerned.

"I take it that was your father?" Baz asked.

"Mm." It came out as a breathy grunt, "I'm very sorry you heard any of that. He's completely out of line."

Baz considered mentioning he was somewhat used to it, but thought better of it. It did give him some faith though, to see Hux so clearly disturbed why what his father said of Oni. Maybe the nasty little thought he had earlier was completely false. This was certainly evidence to the contrary.

"Armitage…" She put a hand on his arm.

He sighed, "I'm very sorry. I do need to go. I will see you both this evening."

He looked tired as he dismissed himself. She watched after him, clearly more concerned about him than about what his father had just said about her.

He felt a sort of weight on his leg, enough to make his knee buckle slightly. He looked down and saw four beady black eyes blinking up at him.

He jumped, nearly falling over, "Hooooly shit what is that thing?"

Oni was by his side quickly, stifling a laugh, "I'm sorry… maybe she mistook you for our father… she's quite old and her eyesight is bad…" She knelt down and pulled the fat yellow creature from his leg. It looked at him, flicking its tongue.

"Uh…"

She took the creature into her arms affectionately, "I suppose you've never seen a ysalamir?"

"If that's what you call that thing, no. Never."

She stroked it's somewhat fuzzy head, "This is K'tizo."

So _this_ was the thing they were speaking of earlier. The thing that had recognized her. He could see why his mother was mildly horrified.

"Our father gave him to me as a pet a few years before I was taken."

"And… that thing recognized you?"

"Yes. I was surprised, mostly because I assumed she'd passed years before. I didn't know they could live so long."

"… Huh."

She was smirking at him, like he'd done something incredibly funny. "They seem to like you."

"Hm?" He looked over his shoulder and saw another one had climbed onto a chair near the doorway and was sniffing his hand. This one was smaller, and not nearly as fat. It was sort of cute.

"And… who is this one?"

"I don't think that one has a name." She wrinkled her nose, "I'm not sure our father is too keen on naming pets."

"Oh…" He held his open palm to it and it flicked its tongue at him. "They don't bite, do they?"

"I imagine if you tired hard enough it might bite you." She shrugged, "They're very friendly."

He ran his fingers over the creature's nose. It was an odd mix of furry and scale-y. "Does he… just keep these? For fun?"

"Mm… I have been told they have a purpose, but honestly I do think he enjoys having them around."

He opened his hand to the creature again and it took the gesture as an invitation, scurrying up his arm and hooking itself around his shoulders.

"Um…"

"Oh, dear god, that thing is still alive…" His mother and Thrawn entered the room.

There was something different about the energy between the two of them. He wouldn't say they were friendly by any means, but his mother didn't seem quite so furious.

She frowned at the thing in Oni's arms, "It's gotten so fat… Thrawn I can't believe they allow you to keep these things in here…"

Baz imagined, from what he garnered from Hux, there weren't many people around to tell Thrawn he _couldn't_ do something. His mother saw the one on his shoulders, "Eh… Oh, are you really letting that thing crawl on you? They're so awful."

He poked its nose, "I don't think they're so bad. She's kind of cute, actually."

"He." Thrawn corrected him, ushering them all to the private lounge attached to his office. "That one is a male."

"Ah. Woops." He glanced to the little face on his shoulder, mouthing an apology. It flicked its tongue at him. For a second, he thought it might have actually understood him.

There were a few comfortable seats situated around a small table. They sat, and his mother leaned back in her seat, "I am hoping… If you don't mind… That we can start from the beginning."

"It is probably the easiest way to piece everything together… I may have some questions as well."

His mother nodded, "Yes, yes of course. I will answer anything I can." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her pack cigarettes, placing one between her lips and lighting up.

Thrawn was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "You still do that?"

His mother blinked rapidly. Baz braced himself. So much for whatever they'd managed to recover in their private discussion.

" _Yes_. I still do, on occasion."

"Is this really the proper occasion?"

It occurred to Baz that for as much as this man was apparently lauded for his intelligence, he must have had the emotional sensitivity of a rock. Which was, very possibly, what had attracted his mother to the man in the first place. She seemed to like keeping things simple. However, Thrawn kept waltzing right into these subjects that were clearly dangerous topics.

He was almost surprised that Thrawn didn't burst into flames when she looked at him. "I am sitting next to my daughter, who I buried over 15 years ago. And she is smiling and laughing and petting one of your disgusting pets, and she is perfectly healthy and very alive. Yes. This is the proper occasion."

She turned away from him and back to Oni. "Now, on that note, how exactly is it that…" She shook her head, smoke rings forming around her face. She looked at her daughter. " _I saw your corpse_. How are you alive?"

"I…" Oni seemed very uncomfortable. "There are things that I do not know. I woke up in the rubble of the building I was in." She paused, blinking rapidly. "You said you saw my corpse? Was it my jacket?"

His mother looked pale behind her cigarette. "Yes… yes. They pulled the body of a little girl from the building you were in. They said the rubble had caved and crushed her but… she was wearing your jacket…"

Oni's voice cracked when she spoke. "There was a little girl. She was trapped, her leg was stuck. I left my jacket with her…"

Nev sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Oni… I'm so sorry… This whole time we just assumed…"

She shook her head. "No. It was a logical conclusion. I certainly don't blame you. I found my way out of the collapsed building and went to find you… but there was nobody. The whole city was flat. I looked for so long, but I couldn't find anyone. I don't remember being taken. I just remember waking up, in a dark room. There were other children there as well. I think they were all Nivitian… everyone I saw looked like they were."

Thrawn's impassive demeanor cracked ever so slightly, though not with sadness or sympathy or horror – he looked angry. "There are slavers in these parts who make a living by abducting young children from war-torn areas. I fear that was the case with you, Oni."

Oni's brows pinched together. "I wish… I wish I would have stayed… I should not have been wandering around looking for you…"

"Mm." His mother wraps her fingers around the girl's wrist, "Oni. Don't do this to yourself." She shook her head, "None of this was your fault."

They spent hours speaking, listening to her story and asking questions. The ysalamir thing crawled off his shoulders and made its way inside. He didn't ask her any questions; he just wanted to listen to what she had to say.

He wished that after the bombing her story got better, but it really didn't. She was sold off to another, who took her eyes and gave her poorly fitted bionics. From there, she was traded around between different owners, working on various ships as a tech controller. He started to legitimately enjoy her story when it finally took an upturn – particularly when she started talking about Hux. She seemed to get a little airy, swooning over him. His mother even looked like she was about to start laughing at the girl.

Thrawn dismissed himself after the bulk of questions had been asked and answered, apologizing and saying that he would find them all again in the morning.

He nodded to Baz and his mother, "I've made sure guest quarters are available for both of you. Whenever you decide to turn in for the evening, one of my men will direct you to your room."

His mother nodded slowly, "Thank you. I suppose that leads nicely to the next question we need to consider." She looked at Baz. "How long are we staying?"

"That," Thrawn said as one of the yellow creatures scurried up his pant leg and perched itself on his shoulders, "Is entirely up to you. You are, of course, welcome on my ship for however long you would like to stay." With that, he left them.

His mother shook her head, "Awful little monsters. I can't believe anyone takes him seriously with that thing sitting on his shoulders." She turned her attention to her daughter, "So… when does this boy of yours plan on returning?"

"Oh… um… I don't know. Armitage usually works very late."

"You seem very fond of him."

"I… um…"

His mother seemed more focused than ever on her cigarette. "It's quite alright. You are an adult."

"Yes, but I do sort of feel like I've gone from five to twenty over night." She paused. "It's terrifying to speak with you about him."

Nev inhaled deeply, "Well, your father does seem to approve of him. I imagine he's much harder to impress than I am."

Somehow, Baz doubted that was true.


	16. Chapter 16

True to his word, Hux reappeared hours later. He seemed tired – Baz imagined after the incident earlier in the day involving his father he probably would like nothing more than to go home and get some sleep.

He looked nervous, running his fingers through his neatly groomed red hair as he sat across from Nev. "It's good to see you all again. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer this morning."

"Ah," His mother waved a hand, lighting up a cigarette. She rarely smoked, but this would be her fourth today. She was clearly nervous in her own way. "Don't worry about it. Duty calls, or whatever it is you military types say. Their father did the same thing quite freqently."

Baz thought this was probably an incredibly bad way to start the conversation, and Hux seemed to pick up on it as well.

Nev continued before he could respond, smiling tightly at him. "So. Armitage. We've heard a great deal about you today."

"Ah…" He glanced to Oni, like he was hoping she'd throw him a flotation device because this ship was sinking very, very quickly. "I hope she hasn't overstated my involvement in the events that took place when we found her. I do, very honestly, think that my crew and I owe her much, much more than she owes us."

"Mm. From what I gather, you and all your men would be dead twice over if it weren't for her."

"Yes, that is very true."

"It also seems that she would still be trapped on that ship had you not had the decency to help her."

"It wasn't a difficult decision to make after she'd shown herself to be an ally."

"Hm." She leaned back in her chair, taking a few quiet drags and looking at the man with narrow, cynical eyes. "Armitage… that's an interesting name. Your family must have been Imperials? It's a very… Imperial-sounding name."

"Yes, my father was an Imperial officer." He paused. "In all fairness, I've never been perfectly fond of my first name. I do prefer to go by my surname."

She nodded, "Hux, yes?" She blinked. "I can see why."

Baz cringed. She'd turned her candor up to the max setting.

"Is your father part of this organization as well? The one Thrawn is here to assess?"

Hux hesitated. Neither Baz nor Oni mentioned the encounter with his father to Nev. It was probably best, he thought, that his mother not know. "Yes. He helped found this organization, actually. He works on the base we're above."

Nev nodded slowly, "So he knows of Thrawn, then?"

"You would be very hard pressed to find anyone here who does not know who Thrawn is."

Nev tilted her head, "Yes, I wondered if that might be the case. He does seem to have a good deal of authority here." She waved her cigarette at Oni, "Does your father know who she is?"

"Yes, they've met a few times."

"I'm sorry, I didn't make my question clear. Does he know of her relation to Thrawn?"

"Oh, yes, he does. Word has gotten around the base very quickly. Most everyone knows by now."

"Is he aware of the nature of your relationship with my daughter?"

Hux hesitated again. The poor guy – there were so many things going wrong in this conversation, and he seemed about as emotionally adept as Thrawn. "Yes, yes he is aware."

His mother ashed her cigarette and lit another. Baz had never seen her smoke like this. "I never really left Nivo, and honestly very few people visit the planet. But the Imperial's sense of superiority is quite well known throughout most of the galaxy." She took a long drag, looking at the man narrowly. "He must be _pissed_ that you're involved with someone who isn't entirely human."

Hux looked at her, seeming to consider his next words very carefully, "He has made it abundantly clear that he is not in support of the idea." He glanced to Oni, "That is my mess to deal with. I don't know that anything could ever change his mind at this point, which is quite unfortunate. I do my best to keep him away from her, so she at least doesn't have to suffer his judgment."

She nodded slowly. "That bad?"

Hux scratched his nose. "It's not ideal."

"I think," Oni said, looking at Hux a little sadly, "that he is not quite as bad as you make him out to be."

Hux looked surprised by her input.

Oni shrugged, "He is quite judgmental of who I am, and he does have very, very high expectations of you. But it is only because he cares for you so deeply."

Hux raised an eyebrow, "Is that really what you think?"

"It is. Your father has lost very much in his life. You are the last thing he has left. I can understand that he is so defensive."

The man clearly disagreed with her assessment.

"Sounds like an excuse to me." His mother said flatly. "But then what would I know? I've never met the man."

They chatted awhile longer, until Nev yawned widely, "I am apparently getting old. I think I'm going to turn in for the evening." She nodded to Baz, "Why don't you stay out with these two for awhile? I do think it might be good for you two to get to know each other better."

His mother has always had an odd tendency of just inviting herself – and him – to situations. Luckily Hux made the invitation welcome. "There's a cantina on my base; Oni and I were going to swing by this evening. You're welcome to join us if you'd like. We can get a transport to take us and bring you back."

Baz nodded. "Sure."

"Good." His mother stood from the table. "Thrawn mentioned he had rooms prepared for us on his ship. Would you mind accompanying me Hux? I'd like to have a word with you, privately."

Oh boy, Baz felt bad for him.

"Not at all." He stood quickly, politely. He was very well mannered. Baz assumed it was a military thing. "Oni, I'll meet you two there. You remember where it is?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, of course."

Hux and his mother disappeared into the ship. Baz hoped she wouldn't be too hard on him.

He looked at his sister. She had markings on her collar bone – some sort of text. He tapped his. "What is this?"

"Hm?" She touched the marking. "Oh. It is the identifying marker I was given." She pulled the collar of her dress down a little, so he could see. Scrawled in poor, careless handwriting: _tech, female, human_.

His mother accidentally left her near empty pack of cigarettes on the table. He played with the box, flipping the lid with his fingers. He'd throw it away before they left. She'd had enough cigarettes today to last the rest of her lifetime.

 _Human_. It was sort of funny the label was permanently marked onto her body. "They never figured out you were half Chiss?"

She shook her head, "No. I never mentioned it, and nobody ever had reason to think otherwise."

"Is it odd to be incorrectly labeled?" He smirked a little when he said it. It was such an odd thing.

She didn't take it as a joke – rather, she was quiet for a moment, legitimately considering it. "It is. I imagine you deal with the same thing, in some fashion."

He frowned. "I hadn't really thought of it like that. But yes, I suppose I do."

"Our father, I think, was maybe a little offended when he saw it. He very strongly suggested I have the whole thing removed."

"You don't want it removed?"

She ran her fingers over it again, "I don't want my intentions to be misinterpreted: I do not like it. Especially now that I can see what it looks like. I don't like that my existence was degraded to three words, especially when one of them is incorrect. But… it is part of me. It feels like getting rid of the marking would be like trying to hide from something that formed the person I am today."

He nodded slowly. It made sense to him. "Can I… Can I ask you a question? You might not want to answer it – I won't mind if you don't want to answer."

"Yes, of course."

"The ship that Hux rescued you from – the one you caused this huge gas explosion on. Were there other slaves?"

She frowned, looking at him quietly. He was pretty sure she wouldn't want to answer.

"It is funny you should ask that. Our father asked me the very same thing the first time we spoke after he found me here."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I…" She paused. "I suspect you are not asking your real question. Of course I was not the only one on the ship; you must have already assumed that. Yes, all of the others were killed in the explosion I caused. And yes, they were all innocent lives who did not deserve such an end. I knew all of them. I can tell you all their names. Their voices… come to me some nights. It is impossible to sleep sometimes." She paused. "I have spent a great deal of time in the darker crevices of my mind. In a life such as the one I have had, survival becomes the most important thing. There is no doubt in my mind that had any of them been presented with the same opportunity they would have taken it. And I would not blame them for that. I did what I had to do for myself, and I controlled for as much damage as I could. If I had a flagrant disregard for other's lives, I would have let all Armitage's men die." She shook her head, "I'm sure it seems horrific and inhumane to you."

He thought for a moment, "I don't think it would be right of me to judge you for your actions. I've never been in a situation nearly so dire. I have no idea the decisions I would make."

She blinked quickly. "Thank you."

"It is a pity that anyone should have to make decisions like that. The loss of life must be a very difficult thing to cope with."

She frowned, looking away from him. "It was… It was nice to speak with our father about this. I was so terrified to answer him at first, but he showed a great deal of understanding that I think very few others would be capable of."

"Given his career, I'm sure he's had to make similar calls before."

She nodded."Yes. You see, there are two levels of grief that come with such decisions. The first being the loss of life, which most compassionate individuals can understand. The people on the ship - much similar to the little girl I gave my jacket to - will haunt me for the rest of my life. Then there is this second level. Most people do not understand it. I think it isn't even something that occurs to them. It is a dark, nefarious thing to grapple with."

He frowned, feeling very bad for her. She was clearly struggling very deeply with everything that's happened to her.

"Father understood it. He was the one that put it into words for me. It is this feeling - when you look back at your actions that have caused such dreadful loss of life - that you do not regret what you have done, because you did it to survive."

He walked with Nev in silence for awhile. He didn't know what to say, and it seemed she didn't either. They made their way to the open docking area, which was near deserted.

"I assume you wanted to speak to me about Oni?" Best just break the ice.

She inhaled deeply and started patting her pockets, looking for her cigarettes. He pulled a spare one from his pocket and offered it to her. She paused a little mid-step, then took it from him. "Thank you."

He lit hers, then his own. They probably both needed one for this conversation.

"I'm not fond of what you have with my daughter." She said blatantly.

At least she was direct about it. "I'd assumed so much."

"I hope I can be clear with this – it has nothing to do with you. On the contrary, I rather like you. Under normal circumstances, I think I would have been very happy to see my daughter end up with someone like you. My issue is with the timing of this whole thing, especially after hearing Oni recount her story."

He didn't respond, but watched her closely from the corner of his eye while they walked.

"My daughter has just been through 18 years of hell. And now, she is very suddenly free. She can make her own choices, she can go where she pleases, and she is no longer an object belonging to someone else. That is a very, very significant change from her life a few weeks ago. On top of that, she has a slew of guilt issues I can already see starting to crop up. Guilt over her kidnapping, over the girl we had mistaken for her, over Thrawn and I splitting ways... Has she discussed any of these things with you?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yes, some of them. Some of them in great detail. I see your concern – you're worried that this may be too much too quickly for her. That it may cause some instability."

"Yes. That is precisely my concern."

"I think you are correct to be concerned about those issues creating instability. However…" He paused, then inhaled deeply. "I suppose I am possibly biased. I am likely biased. But… I do think I have helped her. I've tried to. And if it is worth anything, I do care for your daughter. Very deeply."

"Of course you do. I can see that. It is what makes this whole thing so difficult. And so, you will continue with the path the two of you have chosen. And I will continue to worry, and I will disapprove. Again, not of you, but of the timing. I trust, however, that you will help me keep a close eye on her. I am… very concerned. She may need more help than you or I or all of us can offer her. So, please…" She glanced to him. "Please help me make sure my daughter is safe. And happy. She deserves those things now."

He looked at her quietly for a moment, then nodded. "Absolutely. We both have her best interests in mind."

They both fell silent for some time, consumed with their thoughts and cigarettes. She frowned a little, looking off into the distance. "How old are you, Armitage?"

"Twenty five."

"Hm." She put her cigarette out under the toe of her boot. "I was just wondering if I was as naive as you when I was your age, but I suppose that's about how old I was when I met Thrawn. So I must have been."


	17. Chapter 17

Even Oni commented on the looks he got as they entered the cantina. "It's just because you look like our father." She looked at him, "Especially with the ysalamir."

The creature's head poked out of his hood, resting on his shoulder. He'd decided he liked the little thing – it was friendly and kind of cute and seemed to understand the things he said in some capacity. He'd debated leaving it in the office for fear they wouldn't be allowed into the cantina with it, but Oni pointed out that it was fairly improbable they would deny someone who looked so much like Thrawn and was carrying the creature.

He really had no desire to use Thrawn's status to his advantage, but if it meant he could cart the yellow creature around a little more, he was willing to be slightly flexible with his ideals.

They sat themselves in a more secluded area and Hux joined them shortly, sliding onto the bench next to her.

"Oh… you brought that thing?" He looked a little repulsed when he saw the creature. "You do know they serve food here?"

"She'll be fine as long as she stays in my hood."

He didn't look convinced.

They ordered a round of drinks, chatting idly. A tall man with remarkably nice teeth came to their table, smiling. "Oni! How are you? I haven't seen you since you disappeared from us!"

She leaped up from the table, crawling over Hux and giving the man a hug, "Sebbie! I'm so happy to see you! I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Nah… well, yes you did, but Hux let me know when he found you. Where have you been?"

"Oh… uh… well… very much has happened." She looked at Hux, "Have you told him?"

Hux shook his head. "I thought the news should be yours to tell."

The man looked at her closely, with a sort of shocked curiosity. "Oh… Is it true? The rumors I've been hearing? You _are_ related to Thrawn?"

"Yes. He is my father."

"And… well there's a rumor I just heard earlier today from some of the men that were on Thrawn's ship - a young Chiss was spotted wandering around with you." He looked at Baz and held out his hand with a kind, perfect smile, "I'm assuming that's you?"

He shook the man's hand, "Yes. I'm Baz."

"Sebbie. Good to meet you." He paused, looking between he and Oni. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No! Not at all!"

"So… you'll have to forgive me, but there's a lot of speculation flying around the base right now." He pointed to Baz, "Who exactly are you?"

"Oni's brother. I'm here with our mother, we just arrived earlier today."

He nodded, "Ah, okay. That dispels a lot of the more interesting rumors."

"Oh? What are they saying about me?"

"Well… the older ones, the ones that knew Thrawn back in the days of the Empire, were speculating that you were a clone. I guess you look very much like he used to."

"He does." Oni interjected. "He is almost exactly how I remember my father years ago, only with wavy hair."

"There was also a rumor that you're a suitor from Csilla that Thrawn has brought here to pursue his daughter." Sebbie grinned when Baz laughed. "Yeah, I figured that one was probably very false. And of course, a few people were saying you were his son, though those rumors are so tame they really haven't caught on."

"I suppose people need to keep their minds busy somehow." He laughed.

"You cart around one of those creatures on your shoulder like that and the clone rumor will really take off." Sebbie turned to Oni, "I had no idea you weren't human…"

"Oh, but I am. Half."

"Ah, that makes more sense… When I heard the rumor you were Thrawn's kid, so much more started making sense about your medical evaluation. I was very convinced you were sick because your body temperature is slightly lower than normal, but I think that's normal for Chiss. Oh, and… I do need to apologize… I thought the red under your eyes was an infection. It's permanent, isn't it?"

She smiled at him. "I think it was a logical thing for you to think given what you knew of me then."

Sebbie nodded to Hux, "Did you know?"

Hux shook his head, "No, it was a bit of a surprise." The look on his face said it was more than _a bit_.

Sebbie waved a finger at her, "You should have told me you aren't fully human. I would have kept that all confidential, you know. Things like that can make a difference in medical evaluations."

She smiled, "Noted."

They left the lounge late, after most of the other guests were gone. His sister didn't drink anything – when he asked her about it she laughed and said she was never allowed alcohol before, and she wasn't particularly fond of it now.

Hux, on the other hand, didn't seem shy to drinking at all. He carried it extremely well. His speech barely changed and he retained his reserved mannerisms. Though he did change a little - he noticed that as the night went on Hux became more openly affectionate toward Oni. He laughed as the man snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side as the two walked back to his quarters.

It was reassuring. His speculation from earlier was slowly being torn apart.

"I've never seen him like this, you know?" Sebbie said, watching them as well.

"Oh?"

He shook his head, pointing after the two, "He's _completely_ crazy for her. I've known the man for years. He's very private about personal matters. He tried to hide his relationship with her for awhile, but he was really terrible at it. You can see it though, can't you? There's a great energy between the two of them."

"That's good to hear." He smiled a little, "I think she needs that."

"Mm. He does too." Sebbie hesitated. "Where exactly are you staying?"

"On Thrawn's ship. There's a transport vehicle waiting to take me back." He motioned over to the hangar – it was probably a 20 minute walk away.

"Oh." Sebbie looked in that direction. "Er… Look, I don't want to be… Well, look, there's a lot of that… old Imperial mentality around here. You should let me walk with you back there."

Baz blinked at him. "What?"

"Eh…" The man sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "Look, you stand out a bit, okay? You shouldn't be walking around by yourself this late at night."

"Oh. I think I'll be okay. But thank you, I really do appreciate the thought." He smiled. "If people really think I'm Thrawn's clone I'm sure they'll leave me alone."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah." Baz paused. "Really, thank you, though."

He nodded, smiling a little, "Have a good evening, then. It was really good to meet you."

"You too." He waved Sebbie a quick goodbye and started for the ship set to take him back.

This place was much more beautiful at night. The sky was pitch black, with a huge, yellow-white moon.

He watched it as he walked. A small, dark ship passed in front of it. Another thing he'd never seen on Nivo. Nobody had ships there. Nobody ever really left.

He reached the hangar a little more quickly than he thought he would, and paused in front of the transport ship. Next to his ear, the creature wiggled, making an odd little grunting noise. He pulled it from his hood and set it on the ground. Best let him take care of his business before he got aboard the ship.

He wondered how long they'd stay here. Admittedly, he was enjoying this. It was so different from Nivo.

A sharp hiss drew him from his thoughts. He turned quickly to find the creature, flared up and ferocious looking, hissing at a man, cloaked in black with a mask over his face. His foot was raised, like he was about to kick the creature across the hangar.

"Oi!" Baz rushed forward, grabbing the man's mask and pushing him away from the creature. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The ysalamir scrambled up his leg to his shoulder, continuing to hiss at the man.

He shoved Baz's arm away, "Thrawn! I don't know what your problem is with me but…" He trailed off. "Who are you?"

"There's something incredibly ironic about being asked that by someone in a mask."

The poor creature on his shoulder was clearly terrified. He hissed at the man ferociously.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded, pointing at the creature.

Baz pulled it from his shoulder, stroking it to try and help calm its nerves. "That is none of your business. What the hell are you thinking? Trying to kick him across the room? Do you just not give a shit about the fact that he's a living, breathing creature?"

"That _thing_ is a disgusting excuse for life."

"I'd easily make the assertion that you're more disgusting than he is, from your behavior."

Through whatever vocal device was built into the helmet, he heard an amplified huff. The cloaked man waved sharply, "Just keep that repulsive thing away from my ship."

With that, he marched away, his long tunic flapping behind him like he had some sort of purpose.

Baz shook his head. "Asshole. I don't know which one your ship is."

Evidently, the man was not out of earshot. Without turning, he pointed to an oddly shaped, black ship with vertical wings. It was small, with maybe enough room to accommodate two individuals.

Baz shook his head, watching after the odd man, wondering what could give someone such a sense of superiority.

Baz returned to the planet the next night, just for the moon. He was rather taken with the night sky. He sat on the ground, just outside the hangar, with his back to the metal wall, looking up to the amazingly huge moon.

Roz, the ysalamir, was perched on his shoulder. It was a Nivitian thing – you never named someone without getting to know them first. He'd felt they were well acquainted enough for a name by mid-day.

Thrawn, who he saw for about an hour when he wasn't working, seemed to be okay with him "adopting" her, so to speak. If anything, he was almost flattered by it. He had some sort of affinity for the creatures and seemed more than happy to share them with anyone interested.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black gloved hand reaching for the yellow creature on his shoulder. Roz stiffened, turning quickly and hissing.

He looked at the masked man. "What is your problem? We're not even close to your ship."

"Yes you are."

Baz blinked. "Do you just… state completely false things like they're true to try and make them true?"

" _You_ are not supposed to have that thing. Thrawn gave it to you, didn't he?"

"Why would I tell you that? We're minding our own business, why can't you mind yours?"

"Who are you?"

"You haven't done much to make me want to tell you anything about myself."

"What do you want me to do? Hold your hand and be your friend? Those disgusting things are not supposed to be here…" He reached for it again, almost swiftly enough to grab Roz from his shoulder. Luckily, Baz had fairly quick reflexes. He dodged the reach and grabbed the man by the mask again, pushing him into the wall of the hangar. "You should stop trying already."

He tried to push Baz's hand from his mask, but Baz kept his grip strong. "Do you really wear a mask everywhere?" He pulled his face down, so the eyepiece was angled to him. "What do you look like under there?"

Through the narrow eyepiece, a pair of dark eyes glared back at him.

"I'll tell you what: I won't bring Roz out here if you won't wear your mask."

A mirrored visor came down over the open eye area, nearly catching his fingers.

Baz frowned. "How did you do that? Do you have a little switch in there you turn with your tongue or something?"

The man shoved his arm away and stormed off. Baz watched after, noticing the man's shoulders were shaking as he walked away. He was laughing.


	18. Chapter 18

Baz certainly wasn't delusional enough to think the masked man would take his proposal seriously, but out of some sick curiosity he left Roz in Thrawn's office the next evening before taking a transport down to the planet. He sat on the floor of the hangar with his back against one of the large legs of the ship, reading a book Hux lent him. It was something about political theory and the Empire. He was actually quite interested in it. Most of Hux's books looked incredibly boring, but Baz had an interest in politics and it was difficult to find any literature regarding outside governments on Nivo.

"You're a fool."

The voice nearly made him jump – it was the masked man. He hadn't even heard the man approach.

He blinked up at him. "You're not honoring your half of the deal."

The man hesitated. Somehow the mask seemed to amplify his silence. "You really came out here without that thing just to see what I look like?"

Baz got to his feet. The man was taller than he by a few inches. He looked incredibly imposing, between his height and the mask and the black cloak. "Not really. If anything I'm a little worried you'll eventually manage to get to her. I don't know what your deal is; she hasn't done anything to you."

"You have no idea what that thing does, do you?"

"Well… she seems to like hissing at you. Are you so deeply offended by that gesture you think it's alright to try and punt her across the room?"

"That _thing_ you cart around can negate my influence over the Force."

Baz blinked at him. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"I don't know who you think you are but…" He paused. "Wait, you don't know what the Force is, do you?"

"Eh… no. Enlighten me. It might help me understand why you're so awful to Roz."

The man stood with his arms crossed for a few moments. "Enlighten you… about the Force. Certainly." He brought an arm forward, opening his palm to Baz, fingers claw like just inches from his face.

"People are saying that you're a clone of Thrawn. But that's not the case, is it?" He paused. "You're his son."

Baz felt a mild headache forming in the back of his head. This man was a complete nutcase. Why was he doing such a weird thing with his hand?

"I am."

"You never met him until a few days ago. You've been living with your mother… _That girl_. That girl is your sister." His tone changed to contemptuous when he spoke of Oni.

"Oni? Yes, she is my sister. You've met her?"

He gave a rude huff, "Unfortunately. She was much quicker to figure out my abilities than you are."

"Your… abilities? What?" His headache was growing worse. This man was completely crazy.

"Huh. You're jealous of her. That's interesting. You're jealous she hasn't been stuck on a tiny planet like you've been. But your jealousy causes you some guilt, because of what she's been through. And you're jealous of what she has with that… _ugh_. Hux. You really shouldn't be jealous of that, he's a complete joke."

Baz looked at him, frowning. His headache had gone from a mild itch to something very irritating. "I don't know what you're doing, but I don't care to listen to your parlor tricks. I have a headache and your antics are making it worse." He turned, waving. "Have a good evening."

He tried to step away, but he couldn't seem to move his foot. Actually, he couldn't seem to move any part of his body.

He felt the man step closer behind him, "And you're afraid as well. You're afraid that you'll lose your mother to what you've always thought was her favorite child, now that she knows the girl to be alive. Right now, you're afraid that there might be something medically or psychologically wrong with you since you can't seem to move. You're perfectly fine, I assure you. I'm the one stopping you."

He tried to snap at the man, _what the fuck are you doing to me? How are you doing this?_ But his jaw couldn't move either.

"This," the man stepped to the front of him with an melodramatic flourish, "is the Force. And your ugly little pet ensures that I can't use it. That's why your father carts them around all the time. For someone like him, it's protection."

Whatever stopped him from moving suddenly released and he stumbled forward, nearly knocking into the man. He glared up at him, "What… what are you?"

" _What_ am I?" He reached up and pulled the mask from his face.

He was human, young. Maybe a little older than Baz. His eyes were a deep, dark color and his hair is longish and black, falling around his face in waves. He had a sort of awkward, unlikable look to him, with a crooked mouth and a long, regal looking nose, and an expression that said he thought he was better than anyone else.

"I'm quite human. That has nothing to do with the ability to use the Force."

This place… with people with red hair and odd little yellow creatures and people that can stop you from moving without even touching you… it's all so odd. "I'm starting to think my home is a very boring place."

"It must be."

"What… what exactly is it you can do? How?"

There was a kind of dark, mischievous glimmer in the man's eyes. He turned, stepping away, "Walk with me."

Baz hesitated for a moment, and then decided he was going to let curiosity get the best of him. He caught up to his side, taking long strides through the maze of ships.

"The Force," he said, not bothering to look sideways at Baz, "Is in everything. Think of it as a sort of energy that exists in everyone, in everything. Some of us - very few - are gifted with the power to use it, to manipulate it."

It all sounded very mystical. "Ah… right. And you can use it to… stop people from moving?"

"Among other things."

When he saw the oddly winged black ship ahead he realized they were going to the man's ship.

He continued, "With training, one can learn to do a great deal of things with it. You still haven't realized it, but I was reading your thoughts back there."

Baz thought the man's read of him was eerily accurate, but it still sounded incredibly far-fetched.

"You were getting a headache, weren't you? My mind reading tactics generally aren't very comfortable for people unless they want me in their head."

Baz snorted.

The man shot him a hard look.

"Sorry it's just… does anyone ever really want you in their head? I can't think of anyone I'd allow digging through all my thoughts at their own will."

He looked away from Baz, just barely smiling. "You might be surprised."

Baz couldn't imagine who would ever want someone intruding on their deepest personal thoughts.

They boarded the small ship. It was just as small as he'd thought – a control panel in the front with a seat for one pilot, a boarding area with two other seats, and a door that lead to a back area he can't see.

"Mind reading isn't an exact science," The man continued, stopping and turning to Baz. "The mind isn't an exact thing, really. Everything is so interconnected… you pull at one thought and you'll get six or seven others that are vaguely related in some manner. It makes it a difficult art to master, but I do think the attached thoughts are often more telling than the one you pull."

Somehow, this made complete sense to him. It also made him increasingly more uncomfortable that the man was in his head. He looked away from him, around the ship. "That sounds interesting… Do you ever regret what you see in people's minds?"

He had an odd little smirk on his face. "Sometimes. Not often."

"So… these attached thoughts… what else did you pick up from me?"

"Mm, I think that's mine to know."

Baz almost couldn't believe the audacity of the statement. "Um. No. It's all mine to know and you barged in and rifled through it without my permission. The least you can do is tell me."

His mouth twisted as he considered what Baz said. "I've never thought of it like that."

It came as no surprise to Baz that he hadn't thought of it as a potentially rude and invasive procedure.

His mouth formed into a smirk again. "Like I said, it's the attached thoughts that tell the most about someone. You can pick up on so many… little, nuanced things. Such as: When you think of your sister, you think of her ocular bionics, and you think it's a little ironic that her eyes look like yours – solid colored - but only because her natural ones were pried from her head."

"Hm." He crossed his arms. "And when I think of my mother?"

"You think of paint – so strongly I could smell it."

"That is certainly strange." And completely unsurprising. His mother and paint are undeniably intertwined in his mind. "And when I think of you?"

His grin twitched.

Baz frowned. "Ah. Well. Don't read into _that_ too deeply."

"Sometimes it's funny to see what people really think."

"I think you've misinterpreted me terribly."

The man took a step toward him, "Have I?"

Baz blinked a few times. "Yes. Yes, you have."

"What is it you think I'm misinterpreting?"

"The fact that I think you're attractive is simply that; it doesn't mean anything other than that I think you're mildly attractive."

"Eh… yes, but that wasn't what your thoughts said." He stepped closer to Baz, hovering over him in an almost menacing manner. "You know that. Why are you lying to yourself?"

Because he was incredibly good at denying himself things, that's why. Especially this sort of thing. " _This_ is what you brought me here for? Because you think we're going to..."

"Would you have preferred I did this out there?"

 _No. Definitely not._ "You haven't even told me your name."

"Is that important to you?" He hovered even closer, seeming to loom around Baz.

"Not really."

"You can call me Ren." He was so close Baz he could feel his breath. "And your name is Baz."

"Ah… well… that's convenient." He swallowed, unable to take his eyes of Ren's lips. They were crooked and for some reason insanely appealing to him. "This is… a little cruel, don't you think?"

"Mm? Cruel? No. What you're doing is cruel."

He kept telling himself to look at Ren's eyes, but something about his mouth… the way his lips moved when he spoke… It was far too fun to watch. "How am I the cruel one here?"

"You're the one telling yourself you can't have something you want so badly."

"So badly? You certainly have an ego…"

"Please… your mind is screaming for it. And you can't seem to look at my eyes."

Baz tore his gaze from the man's lips, turning his attention to his dark, glimmering eyes. Everything about this man was intense. He was completely overwhelming, in every sense of the word.

"I do have to commend you," His nose was just far enough from Baz's, "You do have a great amount of self control. Even if you're using it in a stupid way."

"I… have my reasons."

"You're afraid."

"I'm afraid? You're the one that's been hovering around my lips for this entire conversation. You must be denying yourself just as much as you think I'm denying myself."

"Mm." Baz could feel the sound on his lips. The man put a hand on the wall behind Baz, trapping him like some sort of prey. "I'm getting exactly what I want out of this."

"And what is that?"

Ren's lids were heavy over his dark eyes, his lips still so close to Baz's. "Making you give in."

"Ha." It was a snarky, cocky answer. He should have expected it.

"You see, this is really only a cruel thing if neither of us gets what we want." His lips brushed lightly against Baz's.

The gesture was enough to make his mouth drop open a little, "Ah…" He scrambled to gather his thoughts.

"Whether or not we both get what we want is entirely up to you."

He laughed, his attention drawn back to Ren's smirking lips. He swallowed again.

"You're so close…"

Baz wasn't sure if he meant close to breaking or physically close. Either way, he didn't really care anymore and grabbed Ren's face, closing the narrow gap between them.

Ren laughed against his lips, pushing him back against the wall. "See? I _knew_ you had it in you."

Baz tried to pull away, to respond, but Ren was delighted with the development, pushing him into the wall hard enough that he had no room to move. "I don't know what your problem is with being bold…" Ren bit at Baz's lips hungrily. "Was I not clear enough for you?"

The man was a bit vicious – his kisses were half bites, always with a little too much teeth and a just slightly more force than is really necessary. Not that Baz really minded – there was something to his overwhelming nature that was insanely exciting. "I don't really… ahh…" Ren started to nip down his neck, making him loose his thoughts for a moment. "I'm not the type to make the first move."

"Mmph…" Ren grunted a response, lifting him off the floor a little to get a better angle at his neck. "Pity. I would have been quite happy had you made a move on me out there, when the thought had crossed your mind."

Baz wrapped his legs around Ren and pulled his hips closer, a move that Ren gave a vocal reaction to. Baz almost couldn't believe how excited he seemed. It was a little flattering. "I prefer someplace a little more private," he aid, barely able to tear his lips away from Ren's.

"Why is that?" Ren pushed his hips into Baz's. "Are you afraid of someone seeing? Of disappointing your father if he found out?"

"Oi!" What a terribly odd thing to bring up at a time like this. He pushed him away. "What? No. Don't… call him that. I barely even know the man. I met him three days ago."

Ren's hips slowed for a moment, his face buried in Baz's neck.

Before he could react, Ren dragged him onto the floor, crawling on top of him with hard, toothy kisses.

Ren bit at Baz's neck one last time while Baz tried to gather himself. His trousers were stuck around his knees. Ren sat back pushing his wild black hair back from his face. His pants hung lazily around his hips. He looked at Baz, catching his breath, dark eyes holding some sort of intense expression Baz couldn't quite read. Suddenly, he stood and walked away, toward the back room of the ship, buttoning his pants as he went.

This wasn't really like anything Baz had done before. Not that it was casual - casual was about the only thing he'd ever had. It took him a moment to realize what it was - it was that he didn't feel bad about it. It'd been exhilarating and enjoyable. For both of them.

Baz watched him go, unsure what he was supposed to do. He wasn't even sure how to open the closed door of the ship. He rubbed his face, trying to focus. Everything felt a bit scattered. He tried to pull his pants up when a hand reached around from behind him with a towel. Ren's hand. He looked over his shoulder at the man, wondering where he came from. Was he really so dazed he hadn't heard Ren come from the room?

Ren met his glance with a completely unexpected aggressive kiss. "Clean yourself up. There's a shower in the back of the ship you can use if you'd like."

Baz blinked at him, "Um. Thank you."

This was different as well - things didn't end like this for him. Not with a kiss (rough as it was) and a kind offer. Ren looked at him with those dark, endless eyes like he expected something.

"I think I'll just… go back to the big ship. But thank you."

Ren nodded shortly and stood again, leaving him for the back of the ship.

Baz cleaned the mess quickly and re-dressed himself. He poked his head through the door to the back room, wondering what to do with the towel. It felt rude to just leave it. Though he had a strong suspicion Ren could have cared less.

The back room was small and sparse, with a bed and a shower and some storage for what Baz thought must be tools for the ship. Ren sat on the edge of the bed, massaging his forehead. He looked surprised to see Baz.

"Er… where do you want the towel?"

Ren blinked at him like he didn't know the answer. Rather than respond, he stood and walked to Baz, gripping his rib cage and pulling him close for another bite-kiss.

"Ah…" Baz couldn't help an awkward laugh. This was different. He didn't know what to do. It was nice though… he was growing inexplicably fond of the man's lips.

Ren jerked the towel from Baz's hands, "I'll take it."

"I… ah…" Ren started to nip at his neck again. "Ah… I don't know how to open the door."

He could feel the man's lips quirk into a smile as he rubbed them over Baz's neck, "Are you _sure_ that's what you want?"

 _No_. "Yes."

Ren laughed like he heard the contradiction. Maybe he did hear it.

He brushed past Baz and went to the door, punching a code into the keypad. The door slid open. Baz spotted one of Ren's gloves on the floor – he picked it up and handed it to him.

Ren took it, an odd little smirk back on his face.

Baz felt like he should say something. _Good night_ seemed too affectionate. _Thank you_ seemed too needy. There nothing good to say.

Ren was evidently not one for words, instead pushing himself back onto Baz with one last aggressive kiss. His lips remained close to Baz's, like he was expecting something in return. He squinted a little, looking at Baz in a borderline daring way. "Come on. You can do it."

If the man's lips weren't so damn imperfectly perfect Baz may not have given in and kissed him.


	19. Chapter 19

His mother spent every waking moment with Oni. Baz was happy to tag along – he was glad to see his mother so happy and he was really growing very fond of Oni. She was clever and funny in a very clueless sort of way, and despite all the awful things she'd been through she seemd to have a sort of childlike innocence about her, like some piece of her never quite grew up.

However, he spent most of the day after the encounter with Ren watching the mother and daughter interacting and wondering if Ren's read on him had been accurate. Far too many times in his life he'd seen his mother try to hide her grief over the loss of her daughter. Most of the time she was remarkably good at it, but he had a few too many painful memories of finding his mother in her art studio surrounded by her work and sobbing into a glass of wine.

When he was young, it was confusing. He had very clear memories of going to her, asking her if she was okay. She would wipe her eyes and try to hide her grief again, but by that point it was too late, and it would end with her hugging him, holding him and sobbing into his hair and telling him how much she loved him.

He was eight or nine when he came to the heartbreaking realization that it was his sister that she was so torn up over. He'd always known he'd had a sister, who passed before he was born. His mother spoke of her from time to time, like a sad, loving memory. He'd been well aware that a lot of the books he read and language programs they had belonged to her at one point. He knew his mother missed the girl, and he knew his mother was sad over her death, but somehow his mind had never connected his mother's meltdowns to her until then.

Oddly, the only way he'd managed to piece it all together was through a schoolyard fight. There were a lot of fights at school, almost always involving him. Not that he sought them out, by any means. Baz had always been rather fond of people in general and didn't ever really want to fight anyone. He was just sort of… a vibrant blue target for the kids who needed someone to pick on. In general, nearly everyone he met was taken aback by his appearance. Most were kind enough to at least keep their opinions to themselves, but to a select few it made him a prime target. He was quite used to the taunting, the off-color comments, and the occasional uncalled for snowball pelted at his face. Those things were easy to shrug off. He never saw the benefit in reacting to them with anger.

The first time someone in his class tried to fight him was when he was about six. He'd tried to take the same approach, dismissing the agression, and got his ass kicked. His mother was furious – mostly at the other child, but also a little angry with him for not even trying to defend himself. She'd explained to him, clearly distressed, that if someone came after him like that he needed to defend himself – that he had every right to defend himself. That he _had to_ defend himself. That if he didn't he was going to get hurt, and she didn't want to see that happen to him.

Her seriousness made the conversation stick with him, though he didn't really heed her advice. The thought of throwing a punch at someone just seemed nasty and mean – and he would know, he'd been on the receiving end of many of them. So he'd taken a middle route, defending himself by dodging and blocking what he could. It was semi effective; most of them just became frustrated and called him a freak and stormed away.

It helped a little that by eight, he was nearly a head taller than anyone else in his class. Unfortunately, that drew the attention of older students. That's when it happened: the boy was three years his elder and unfortunately quick – Baz managed to dodge a few blows, but one caught and threw him off and the boy didn't make any effort to let up, landing him in a medic's care with a broken nose.

His mother was suspiciously quiet the entire time, leaning against the doctor's office wall with her arms crossed, jaw shut tight. They'd walked home in silence, the tension building.

As soon as the door to their home closed, cutting them off from the outside world, he braced himself for the pending furious lecture.

Quite the opposite happened – he suddenly found his mother on her knees, her arms around him in a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder. Between sobs and begging him to start defending himself, she said something that hit him so hard, something that made all those late night breakdowns make so much more sense: "I can't bear to lose you too."

Needless to say, the next kid to try and pick a fight with him ended up with a bloody nose. It only took a few examples before the physical attacks died down.

Maybe, in some dark twisted way, Ren was right. It was insulting to be jealous of Oni, especially after she'd confided in him about the guilt she lives with. But some part of his mind wondered what it would have been like to grow up like a normal person, not considered a complete oddity. And he wondered how much happier his mother would have been if Oni had been around. She probably would have been an entirely different person. If he could go back and erase all those times he found her in tears, he would do it in a heartbeat.

He decided, around midday, to give the two women some time to speak privately. He tracked down Worth to catch up with the old man.

Worth was more than happy to see him. "I've been a bit bored since your sister's recovery is going so well. Thrawn insists I stay though, he doesn't trust anyone else to monitor her recovery correctly."

"Oh?" Baz hadn't seen much of Thrawn; he came and went from time to time but never stuck around long. "He seems very busy with work."

Worth had always been fairly uncensored. He inhaled deeply, squinting, "I mean, yes, he is, but trust me he's not so busy that he shouldn't have time to spend with you all. Especially considering the situation. I have a sneaking suspicion he's using work to avoid confronting a situation he doesn't know how to deal with."

"Didn't you see my mother that first day? I've never seen her so angry before. Do you really blame him for trying to avoid her?" Baz laughed a little.

"Mm… It's not your mother he's avoiding."

"You think he's avoiding _me_?"

"I think, like I said, he's avoiding the whole situation. You, I think, are a very large part of that. Thrawn is an incredibly intelligent man, but if there's one thing he doesn't excel at it's emotions. Dealing with them, expressing them… I don't think he has any idea how to cope with having all three of you suddenly in his life again, not to mention the circumstances of your sister's return and the fact that he didn't even know your name last week. It's overwhelming for him, so he avoids it." Worth shrugged. "Whether that's the right or wrong thing for him to do is another matter."

Baz could completely understand that the man felt overwhelmed. Baz felt overwhelmed by the entire situation. "Is it… Is it wrong that I'm okay with that?"

The old man looked at him for a moment.

Baz tried to explain himself quickly, "I don't really… look, I don't really think of him as my father. Is that terrible? I don't even know the man. It feels very sudden and uncalled for that I should have a father when I've never really had one my entire life."

Worth scratched his chin, "I suppose I can understand why you feel like that. And I think you're entitled to that, though to be fair he did _want_ to be a part of your life. The only reason he wasn't involved was out of respect for your mother's wishes." He sighed, "I do think he felt - and still feels - very responsible for what happened to your sister, and for the grief it caused your mother."

"Did he though? I mean… he never once made an effort to reach out to either of us in all that time."

The old man hesitated. "Do you really think it was your mother who wanted me stopping in to check on you?"

Baz had never thought much of Worth's visits. They'd always just been a part of his life, from as early as he could remember. "Did he send you?"

Leaning back with a deep inhale, the man nodded. "Yes. This is something you should maybe discuss further with both of them, though I'm sure Thrawn would be reluctant to speak about any of it. He was devastated by Oni's death, as was your mother. She very openly blamed him for the entire incident… I do think she was being too hard on him, though I can understand where her anger came from at the time. He, unfortunately, felt some responsibility for the event. That guilt, I think, drove him to respect her wishes and leave the two of you, but he did beg her, quite openly, to allow me to continue overseeing her pregnancy and your health. She conceited, though only after I expressed my concern in the matter as well."

"So… That's all he wanted?"

"To know that you were healthy? Don't underestimate the power of that, boy. It's something he was always very concerned with. To our knowledge at the time you and your sister were the only two half human half Chiss in existence. The biological differences between the two species are relatively minor, but it was still worth keeping an eye on."

He bought Worth's assertion that Thrawn was at least concerned with his health, which was something... But something else was bothering him. "He never even… asked you my name?"

Worth frowned quietly for a moment. "I will be honest with you, because I think you deserve some answers by this point, but in turn I would appreciate it if you would listen to all of what I have to say before you form an opinion."

Baz nodded.

"He only ever asked about you once. After your birth, I went to report to him that he had a son. You know, I have considered your father a close friend for over 30 years now, and I can only name a handful of times I've seen him behave outside his standard temperament. When he first found out your mother was pregnant with Oni he came to me asking for help, and he was visibly nervous, concerned that the biological differences may adversely affect either the child or mother. When he learned of Oni's death, he was distraught beyond anything I'd _ever_ expected to see from him. And when I told him he had a son, he looked…" Worth paused, searching for the right word. "It's so odd, you never expect to see a man like him sad. It was different from your sister's death – that was grief. This was some sort of longing, like he missed someone so terribly that he had never met before. He asked if you were healthy, and I said yes, and he just nodded. I asked him if he wanted to know more – he looked like he wanted to say yes. I'm certain he did. I told him I thought your mother was being unfair, and that he was entitled to at least know a little about his son. He felt that knowing more would only make the situation more painful for him."

Baz wasn't sure what to make of Worth's story. He couldn't imagine not wanting to know the name of your child, but then who was he to judge? The situation was so unusual and Baz certainly didn't have children, so he had nothing to base his judgment off.

"What I'm saying, I suppose, is that you aren't wrong to feel the way you do, but I do think you might want to give the man a chance. You may never consider him your father, but he has always cared very deeply for your wellbeing. I think, to him, details like your name were just cosmetic and only served to make him more attached to someone he was never supposed to know."

Baz nodded slowly. That made some sense to him. Of course he was always open to giving people a chance. The real challenge was finding a way to speak with the man – he barely ever saw him, and when he was around he wasn't the chattiest person.

Worth pushed himself to his feet with a grunt, "Well, I hate to do this, but I do have a few things I need to take care of. Why don't you swing by my quarters this evening and we'll continue our conversation over a few drinks?" He paused. "It is odd that you're now old enough to share drinks with."

Baz smiled at him, "That sounds fantastic. I'll see you then."

It had been years since Eli had spoken with Worth. Fourteen, to be precise, since the birth of his daughter, whom Worth delivered.

"Vanto, how is your little girl doing?" He asked.

"Well… she's not little anymore. She has her eye on a boy in her class, she's trying to hide it from her mother and I, but she's awful at it."

"Ah… I remember those days. Trust me, you'll be much more concerned when she stops hiding it and wants to introduce you to him."

He'd almost forgotten - Worth had two girls of his own. They'd be in their 30's now, both from different mothers. If he recalled correctly, one was a Twi'lek and the other a Zabrak. He was momentarily surprised when he found out, but then it made a terrible amount of sense that Worth - a specialist in alien medical care - was _very interested_ in alien anatomy.

"And yours?"

"Both well, the oldest just had her second child and the younger just got a rather hefty promotion at the hospital she works at."

"I didn't know you were a grandfather. Congratulations."

"I'm still surprised by it myself."

Eli nodded. "So… speaking of being surprised…"

"Had no idea he had two kids, did you?"

"I think I'd convinced myself there was nobody out there who knew him better than I."

"Well… I don't know that you're wrong about that. But he is very secretive. Had circumstances been different I'm sure he would have told you. But Oni was born right around the time of Yarvin. People were turning on each other right and left. I think he was wise to keep her a secret."

"He probably was, but still… what a massive secret to hide."

"Mm. I'm happy for him, though. Oni's loss was devastating to him. And then to have been cut out of his son's life… He would never open up to me about it, but the few times I spoke to him about Baz he was clearly distraught."

"He mentioned he didn't know the boy's name. And Baz… when I met him, he mentioned Nev hadn't told him Thrawn's name."

"I know, I feel for the boy more than I feel for Thrawn. He's a good kid, he was always dreadfully curious about his father. The last time I saw him he was fourteen, for a routine checkup. I'm not sure how, but he'd finally pieced together that I was somehow connected to his father. Kept pressing me with questions. Out of respect for both Thrawn and Nev's request, I didn't tell him anything. I spoke to Nev afterward and explained to her I thought she ought to tell the boy something. She refused. So I told her I wouldn't be able to return. Transferred all my records for the boy to a local doctor and never went back. It was too heartbreaking to deny the boy something as small as his father's name."

"Well, you're a better person than I. He started pressing me for information and I caved."

"Ah… I would argue that makes you the better person. The boy deserves to know about his father." He smirked. "I think Thrawn was caught a bit off guard by him. I never let him know the boy looks distinctly Chiss. I think Thrawn was expecting him to be more similar to his sister in appearance."

"Haven't you noticed though? Baz is just as fascinated by all the Chiss on this ship. That planet… it was all humans. I don't know that he's ever seen someone who looks like him."

"You're likely right. I wouldn't be surprised if Thrawn were the first non-human he met."

"The poor kid… and Thrawn is acting so strangely around him."

Worth tapped his lips. "Well, that brings me to the reason I tracked you down, Vanto. I think we can help the boy out. And Thrawn, for that matter."

"So," Eli said as Thrawn moved into the leather seat across from him. "How does it feel to have your family back together?"

Thrawn looked at him for a long moment. He bowed his head slightly. "It is a relief to see them reunited."

"Nev's letting you speak with them, correct?"

"Nev chooses to speak to me very little, but when she does it is to tell me I need to spend time with them. She has been very fair."

There was a knock – the knock – at the door and Worth jumped up, going to greet him.

He could be heard at the door, "Ah, boy, it's good to see you, come in."

Thrawn had pieced their trap together before Worth reached the door. He looked at Eli flatly.

After sixteen years of being married to a Chiss woman, he should have been used to the red eyes. He still wasn't.

The boy froze when he saw Thrawn. Luckily Worth had no sensitivity to this. He clapped the boy on the back and nearly shoved him into the seat across from Thrawn.

"Enjoying your time here?" Eli asked him.

"Er… yeah. It's interesting. Very different from Nivo. The people are… well, everyone is very different here. I wasn't expecting…"

"Let me guess," Worth said, "the red haired boy, Hux? Your sister nearly passed out laughing at his hair color when she first saw him."

"Yes. That did surprise me."

"I distinctly remember the first time I saw a red-haired human. I assumed they were a different species altogether until I was able to do some research on the matter." Thrawn added offhandedly.

"I sort of thought that too." Baz said.

"Well…" Worth took a seat next to Baz, handing him a drink. "If we're talking about the Hux's here, that may not be far from the truth." He chuckled a little. "Were you surprised when you saw your boy, Thrawn? That he looks so much like you?"

"I suppose I had assumed, because of Oni and Eli's daughter, that human genes were dominant for appearance. Admittedly, when I first saw him on the ship I wondered what one of my crew was doing there. That was until I saw," He motioned to the red markings under his own eyes, "You had these."

"Oh… are they genetic? I noticed the other Chiss have them, but they all look a little different."

Thrawn nodded, "Yes."

"So…" The boy scooted forward in his seat a little. "Do yours look like your mother's or your father's?"

Thrawn's head tilted a little. Eli recognized the gesture – he was intrigued by the question. "Both. My father's were concentrated under the eye, while my mother's were more sharply pointed on the inside."

"Were your parents military leaders as well?"

Thrawn hesitated.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to pry, I'm just curious."

"No, there is no need for you to apologize. It is good that you are curious about these things. Nobody has asked me about my parents in a very long time. My father worked on a fishing boat, and my mother was an artist."

How had Eli never known that about the man? He just assumed Thrawn's parents must have been military or politicians or… someone significant to Chiss society. Certainly not everyday people.

"Was she a painter as well?"

"No, my mother was a sculptor."

Baz looked at him for a moment. "How did the son of a painter and a fisherman end up working for the Empire? And then in control of an entire fleet in the Chiss military?"

"I had a fleet with the Empire as well." Thrawn said in his usual cool tone. It sounded like he was casually mentioning it, but Eli knew better. He was definitely bragging, just a little.

"Really? The Seventh Fleet? Was that yours?"

"It was."

Baz looked at Eli, "You didn't mention that."

He laughed. "I wasn't sure if it would be wise to give you the full… scale of it all."

"That was probably a good decision. How did you meet my mother?"

The questions poured out of the boy, like he'd waited a lifetime to ask them.


	20. Chapter 20

Thrawn slid his empty glass onto the table between them and stood, "Thank you for the conversation, gentlemen. I have a few matters to attend to before the end of the day." He nodded to Baz, "Do you know where your mother is? I've been meaning to speak with her."

"I believe she and Oni are in the lounge next to your office. I'm sure my mother is wondering where I am. Would you mind if I came along with you?"

Thrawn blinked. "No, not at all."

They said their goodbyes to Worth and Eli and started for the main building.

After a few quiet steps, Thrawn spoke. "From what I gather, you seem to have an interest in politics?"

"Oh… Yes, I do. My mother's whole family is involved in politics, I guess it sort of… runs in the family."

"Hm." Thrawn gave him an odd glance. "My brother was heavily involved in politics on Csilla."

"Oh… I didn't know that." It felt like a tiny bite of something exciting. Questions started flooding his head again; he had to stop himself from spouting them all out at once. "I'm afraid I don't know much about Csilla, it's very difficult to find any information about the planet on Nivo. What did he do?"

"He was a Syndic. The government on Csilla consists of several houses; I would be happy to speak with you about it when we have more time."

"Yes, yes I'd love that. Is your brother still on Csilla?"

There was a short pause. "No, I'm afraid he passed many years ago. Before I met your mother."

Baz wanted to kick himself for asking; the conversation had been going remarkably well. "Oh… I'm… sorry…"

"He was a good man." Thrawn said shortly. "He was more cautious of humans than I was. We - the Chiss, that is - have always been a little elitist in our view of our role in the galaxy. I often wonder what he would have thought if he'd lived long enough to know of your mother – and of you and Oni."

"Do you think he would have come around? Would he have liked us?" The thought of having an extended family member that didn't look down their nose at him (as Nev's family had always done) was somewhat exciting, even if it was strictly in theory.

"As people, yes, I'm sure he would have. He was very fascinated by humans, and in general he had a deep appreciation for people. But to have the only heirs to our family bloodline half human… We do take our bloodlines very seriously. I really don't know how he would have reacted to such a thing."

This brought a million other questions to mind, but they were fast approaching Thrawn's office.

A familiar, filtered voice came from behind them. "Admiral."

Both he and Thrawn stopped, turning.

Ren, fully cloaked with mask and all, was marching toward them. He hesitated mid step when they turned, no doubt as surprised to see Baz as Baz was to see him. He planted his foot firmly and stood straight, "Admiral, the Supreme Leader sent me. He has requested to see you."

"Very well. I will be there shortly, I have a brief matter to attend to first."

Thrawn began to turn, almost dismissively, when Ren replied: "Ah, yes. I'll just let the Supreme Leader know you'll be in to see him when it suits your schedule."

Baz's jaw nearly dropped open at Ren's tone.

Next to him, Thrawn froze.

Ren continued, "You would do well, Admiral, to not let personal matters interfere with your ability to do your job."

Something about Thrawn's accent made his tone even more drawn and grave, "You can tell your Supreme Leader that I will be there shortly. That is all." With that he turned and strode away.

Baz blinked at Ren, astounded by the tone he took with Thrawn. He wondered if it really was Ren under the mask. It was hard to believe the somewhat suave man he'd been with the night before would behave in such a manner.

He forced himself back to Thrawn's side as quickly as he could gather himself. Clearly he wasn't fond of Ren – he was actually frowning. Not that Baz blamed him; the encounter was incredibly distasteful on Ren's behalf.

It occurred to him, oddly, that he knew next to nothing about Ren. Other than the color of his eyes and the shape of his mouth and a few more lewd details, he knew very little of him at all. Ren hinted at a possibly tense relationship between he and Thrawn, but Baz never would have imagined it was this bad.

"Er… Who was that?" Baz asked as casually as possible, hoping to feel out the situation a little further.

Thrawn shook his head. "He goes by the name Kylo Ren. Nobody important, as far as I'm concerned."

"Oh."

"He works outside the Order, under the direct command of this Supreme Leader. The boy somehow thinks that means he's entitled to commanding our people around. I know Commander Hux has had a few distasteful run-ins with him as well, as has your sister. In general, he is a problem." He glanced to Baz as they reached the office door. "It may be wise of you to stay away from him if you do ever see him. He's quite unstable, I don't trust him at all."

"Oh." It may have been nice if this conversation had happened a day or two earlier.

His mother and Oni were in the lounge, speaking quietly. His mother looked surprised to see both he and Thrawn together. "Oh… hello. It's good to see you both."

There was always an awkward energy between Thrawn and his mother. He couldn't quite place what it was. His mother certainly wasn't nearly as angry with him as she was when they first arrived. It seemed more like some dull, unforgettable pain now. Maybe she'd never really be able to forgive him. No wonder Thrawn avoided her so seriously.

"Nev, I wanted to speak with you quickly… Have you given any further thought to how long you would like to stay?"

She looked back at Thrawn quietly, like she was trying to figure out what he meant by the question. "Honestly, I haven't. You're set to leave this base soon, aren't you?"

Thrawn nodded, "Yes, that is my concern. I certainly don't want you to feel compelled to make a decision right away – you are, of course, always welcome on my ship. However I am set to return to Csilla soon, which is much further from Nivo. If you want to keep your travel time returning home to a minimum, it is something to consider."

His mother nodded slowly, "Yes, thank you for pointing that out." She looked at Oni, then back to Thrawn, "This is something I need to give some thought to. And I think your daughter needs to give it some thought as well. Should we speak about it in detail in say... Two days?"

"Yes, I think that would be wise. I hope you don't think I'm trying to rush you, that is not at all my intention."

"Of course it isn't."

"Good. I'm sorry to have to dismiss myself again so quickly, but I have a brief meeting to attend. I'll have my staff prepare us a meal two nights from now to discuss your plans." He nodded to Oni, "It may be appropriate for you to invite the Commander, if he would like to come."

Oni smiled, "Yes, I'm sure he will be there."

Thrawn bowed his head slightly, "Good, then. Have a good evening." He turned to leave, pausing at Baz. "It was good speaking with you, Baz. We'll continue our conversation later."

He disappeared back into the hallway; his mother looked at him with narrow eyes. "You two… had a conversation?"

"Ah… yes. I think Worth and Vanto trapped him into it."

"Huh… Good on them. What did you talk about?"

"Oh… a lot of things. We talked about Nivo, and your family, and his brother…"

"He spoke to you about his brother?" She sounded astounded.

"Er… yeah?"

Her mouth hung open.

Oni looked from him to their mother, "He has a brother? We have an uncle?"

"Had," His mother corrected, quickly. "His brother died quite a long time ago; he was always very reluctant to speak about him. I'm happy he mentioned him to you though."

Baz half shrugged, "I still don't know what to make of the whole thing."

"I have a feeling he feels the same way. That's good though. Very good. Very bazaar, but very good." She nodded. "I think I owe Worth and Vanto."

Baz sat among the ships in the near deserted launch bay of Thrawn's ship, reading from Hux's book whenever he got bored. At least, he tried to read. His mind was distracted by the conversation he had with Thrawn earlier in the day. Every little tidbit the man had mentioned lead to a slew of other questions, and Baz had barely been able to ask any of them.

A pair of black gloved fingers hooked over the top of the book and dragged it down. He'd been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Ren, who stood over him, smirking. "It must be a good book?"

Baz frowned at him. "What do you want?"

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Oh." Oh. Not what he was expecting from Ren at all. He wasn't sure what to expect from him, really, but it certainly wasn't this.

Ren cocked his head to the side, "You look confused."

"Um… well…" He remembered Thrawn's advice: _Stay away from him. He's unstable. He can't be trusted._

Baz tried to remember the last time someone had returned for a second round. People seemed to think being with him was a sort of one-and-done deal. His head hurt.

He clapped a hand over his forehead like a completely useless shield. "Hey! Get out!" He waved his book at Ren. "I never invited you in there."

Ren didn't respond, he just snatched the book from Baz and walked away, into the maze of parked ships.

Baz went after him, "Ren! Ren, what are you thinking? Give that back, it's not mine…"

"Then whose is it?" Ren asked over his shoulder, his tone mocking.

"It's Hux's, he just leant it to me…"

"The Commander?"

"Yes…"

"Ha." Ren looked inordinately amused. "Well in that case, I'll burn it."

"Don't be stupid… You were an ass to Thrawn today, by the way." He wished it wasn't so late, so maybe there would be a few people around. He doubted Ren would act like this so publicly if there were any chance of them being seen.

It seemed like every time he nearly caught up to Ren, Ren took a few quick strides and managed to stay just too far ahead of Baz. "Was I? Do you suddenly have some sort of _sentiment_ for this man you barely even know?"

"Not really, but I do have a little respect for him as a person. Enough to realize he might want to spend some time with his offspring that he hasn't seen in nearly two decades. You didn't need to be so rude."

"I'll tell you what," He sneered over his shoulder at Baz, the book dangling at his side in a teasing manner. "I'll be a little nicer to him, at least when you're around, if you'll come with me?"

Ren stepped quickly onto his personal ship, turning to him once he was just inside the doorway. Baz stopped, just outside. He didn't know how he felt about following Ren inside. He crossed his arms, "Bribing me is hardly flattering. Give me the book. You're acting like a child."

"And you're acting like some masochistic prude."

"No, I'm just cautious." He paused. "I have a feeling you don't know much about that."

"Cautious? Of what? Are you afraid of me?"

"No. Why would I be afraid of you?"

He held his hand out and Baz felt his firmly planted feet drag forward a few inches.

"Don't… Don't do that. If I wanted to come in there I would."

"But…" Ren squinted at him, "You do want to."

"No, I really don't."

"Yes you do. I could see it."

Baz frowned a little and stepped up into the ship, grabbing the book back from Ren. He glared up at him. "There. You happy?"

Ren had an omniscient smile on his face. "Not quite." Before the door even managed to close all the way, he'd pushed Baz back into the wall, biting at his lips.

Ren didn't seem to know the difference between attacking someone and kissing them, though Baz wasn't entirely sure he minded. Ren's aggressive approach was exhilarating and a little fun, though Baz was still slightly confused by Ren's very clear desire for a second round with him.

"You're too timid," Ren mumbled into his lips, grabbing Baz's collar and shoving him into the wall a little harder, "Fight back."

"Ah… are we fighting?"

"Yes. In a way."

"I've never been with someone who fucks like they want to fight."

Against his neck, Ren's mouth formed into a grin, "Is it a problem?"

"No… ahhh…" Ren shoved him onto a cushioned bench and crawled on top of him, tugging his gloves off with his teeth. "No, it's actually oddly exciting."

Ren was back to biting at his lips, shoving his hand into Baz's pants. "Good. I can't imagine doing this any other way." He paused as Baz rocked his hips, welcoming Ren's touch. "I just hope you don't fight like you fuck. You'd get your ass kicked every time."

The observation might not have been that far from the truth. He laughed.

Ren smirked at him for a moment, then, moving quickly, jerked Baz's pants down over his hips and moved downward, biting his exposed hips. "Uh…" He pushed himself upright a little and gave a nervous laugh when he saw Ren looking up at him, his lips pushed against the edge of Baz's cock.

He'd noticed the smirking expression on Ren's face before - like he was entirely certain that everything in the universe revolved around him. It was mildly irritating and incredibly sexy.

"You like my lips, don't you?"

"Ah…" Feeling them move against his cock was enough to make him dizzy. "Y… yes."

That center-of-the-universe look only intensified, quickly hidden as he took Baz into his mouth.

"Fuck…" he fell back onto the cushion, his shoulders twitching. This hadn't ever happened to him before. As if Ren returning for a second round wasn't odd enough, now this…

He didn't want to stare at Ren… but he really couldn't look away. He pushed Ren's wild hair back, getting a small view of what he was doing. Ren glanced up at him and Baz swore he could feel the man laugh on his cock – it was enough to make his fingers dig further into Ren's hair, his hips buck a little. "Fuck… Ren you're going to make me…"

He came hard enough to collapse back onto the cushion, his legs twitching around Ren's head. He was dizzy. Very dizzy. Ren crawled back on top of him, kissing him hard, laughing.

Baz was still trying to catch his breath.

"You enjoyed that I take it?"

"That… you… wha… sorry?"

Ren laughed at him. "Don't worry, it's flattering."

"Mmph." He decided to opt out of words for a little bit.

"I could tell you liked my lips… but damn you were excited."

"Mm…" He rubbed his face, trying to gather himself. Ren wasn't making it any easier, hovering over him. "I… have never been on the receiving end of that before."

"Oh." A crease formed in Ren's brow. "Really?"

"Mm. Yeah."

"That's pathetic."

Baz laughed a little, pulling his pants up the best he could with Ren still on top of him. "You don't really censor yourself, do you?"

"Why would I do that? You look like you're about to fall asleep."

Baz rubbed his face, "Sorry… I think you may have taken my life force."

Ren snorted and hopped off of him, "You should go. Or do you not think you can stand?"

"I… can stand. That wouldn't really be fair would it?"

"If you left now?" Ren scratched his mouth, grinning. "No, not really."

Hux's private conversation with Nev caused him great concern. She'd made it clear, in no unclear terms, that she was not in support of her daughter being involved with someone at this point in her life. The worst part of her opinion was that Hux actually thought it was a little reasonable. Oni had just gone through an enormous change in her life, and while she was carrying it well externally, he was vey concerned with what she might be hiding.

He watched for it constantly. When she mumbled to herself in other languages at night, he wondered what she was saying. When he found her staring off into space, he asked her if she was okay. She was getting irritated with it; she reminded him that sometimes she used her eyes to do more than see.

And when they lay in bed together at night and she grew incredibly quiet, her face buried in his chest like she was trying to hide from something, eyelashes blinking against his skin, he found himself growing more and more terrified.

This was such a delicate thing, and something he was starting to realize he desperately needed. It felt like it could all slip away so easily.


	21. Chapter 21

Baz made his way off Ren's ship cautiously, making sure he wasn't spotted. Ren had left him worn him out again. He couldn't wait to get back to his quarters and sleep.

His mind wandered back to Thrawn's warning of the man. Ren didn't really seem dangerous. Well… maybe a little. But he wasn't any danger to Baz. Anyhow, it wasn't like this would happen again. It was weird enough that it'd happened twice now… it certainly wouldn't happen a third time.

He was drawn back to the present by shouting. It took him a moment to realize it was Oni's voice. He couldn't make out what she was saying – he followed the noise, curious.

She stood at the end of a hallway, raving at a bewildered looking Chiss in a language he couldn't understand. He hurried down the hallway to them. It was so late, he wasn't even sure what Oni would be doing on Thrawn's ship. She should be on the planet below, on the base with Hux.

"Oni?"

She kept raving, with large hand motions, not even turning to him. The Chiss looked at him, speaking in a thick accent. "Do you know the language she is speaking?"

"No… it's not your language?"

"No."

"What's she upset about?"

The Chiss glanced at him again. Oni kept raving over top of their words. "I do not know."

He stepped toward her, putting a hand on her arm. "Oni…"

She swatted his hand away and kept raving. He stepped back again. Other than the swat, she hadn't acknowledged his presence in any way.

The Chiss stood straight suddenly, making an odd motion. He turned to see Thrawn had joined them – his eyes trained on Oni. He and the Chiss spoke in their language. Baz's Cheunh wasn't good, but he managed to catch a few words from Thrawn: _She_ , _help_ , and _thank you_. The other Chiss dismissed herself, hurrying away from them. Oni kept raving after her.

Thrawn watched her silently for a moment, his brows drawn together slightly, his mouth a very severe flat line.

"Do you know what she's saying?" Baz asked.

He exhaled a little and shook his head. "No. It sounds as though she might be speaking a few different languages." He stepped toward her. "Oni…"

She drew back from him, snipping something unintelligible. He reached for her and she backed away again, turning like she was about to run. Baz wasn't sure where she intended on going, and he doubted Oni had any idea either. Luckily Thrawn was quick; he snatched her arm and pushed her, somewhat forcefully, into an empty room. Baz followed after Thrawn.

Oni just kept ranting, trying to escape his grip. Thrawn closed the door.

And then something entirely unexpected happened. Thrawn stepped toward her and took her face between his hands, and buried his nose into her hair. He muttered something to her.

She tried to pull away from the odd embrace, still chattering, but he held her there. "Oni. Stop this. Calm yourself." Something was odd about his tone – it was strangely soft.

She pulled against him a few more times, protesting in whatever language she was speaking, but her voice at least grew quieter. He spoke to her softly, asking her again to calm down. She finally fell completely silent, standing motionless with her face between his hands, staring at his chest. He didn't let her go.

It only took a few moments – her shoulders started to shake. He could hear little sniffs from her.

Still, Thrawn didn't move. It was the last thing Baz would have expected to see of him: an incredible amount of emotional sensitivity. While Baz wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Oni, it was very clear she was highly distressed. This must have been some sort of mental break.

"I don't know what to do." She finally spoke, in Basic. She was very quiet. "My heart is torn in three pieces."

Thrawn barely made a reaction – his shoulders sank just slightly.

Baz felt a painful amount of empathy for her. He couldn't imagine. Everything in her life had changed so drastically, and so suddenly. Just weeks ago, she had nothing. Now she felt she had to choose between her mother, her father, and Hux.

Another silence fell between them. "Oni, this decision is yours to make for yourself. You have earned that. But I will help make your decision easier. I will revoke my offer for you to join me and the Chiss."

A miserable sob caught in her throat.

He still held her face firmly between his hands. "This is _not_ my method of rejecting you. You are my daughter; you will always be welcome with me and my people. But now is not the time for that. It was an ill conceived offer on my behalf. I am sorry to have put you in such a position."

She sobbed and muttered something back to him – Baz only knew what Cheunh he'd been able to learn from the books and recordings he'd found abandoned in the cabin, but he thought he understood: " _I don't want to leave you._ "

Thrawn's shoulders sank a little more. He responded in Basic, though Baz wasn't sure why. "Oni… I will not abandon you. I have an obligation to my people, and I must honor that. But this will not be how it once was. I will visit you, wherever you choose to be. And you will be able to contact me whenever you please. I will always be here for you."

She didn't respond, continuing to sniff little sobs.

If one thing was clear, Thrawn was a patient man. He stood there, holding her like that until her sobs died down.

"Commander, thank you for making the time to see me." Thrawn spoke before Hux had the chance to. He motioned to guest's seat in front of his desk, where Hux sat not too long ago and professed his affinity for Oni, not knowing that he was speaking directly to her father.

Understandably so, this made him nervous. He sat across from the Chiss. "It's not a problem, sir. I assume this is about Oni? I didn't see her last night. I assume she must have stayed here?"

Thrawn looked at him – through him – quietly for a moment. "Yes, this is about my daughter. I have something I would like you to see." He paced a small holoprojector device on the table. "Oni showed up on my ship last night. Our security cameras captured this."

A projection blinked onto the table before them – Oni walked into view. One of Thrawn's crew – a young Chiss woman – approached her. She said something, which Oni appeared to ignore. She reached out to grab her arm, and Oni swatted her away, looking cross. The young Chiss backed away a little and Oni let loose, yelling at her. The holo didn't have any noise, so he couldn't be sure what she was saying, but she was clearly very upset with whatever had happened.

"The cadet in the holo was attempting to see if she was lost." Thrawn said evenly, his eyes fixed on the projection.

Baz came into view – he stepped toward her but she swatted him away as well, continuing to yell at the young Chiss.

"She was not speaking Basic, or Cheunh. I didn't recognize what she was saying, but it sounded like a few different languages at once."

Thrawn stepped into the picture, looking completely in control of the situation. He cut the projection short, inhaling deeply. "It took Baz and I nearly an hour to calm her down. She is distressed by the decision she needs to make soon. I'm certain you can understand my concern."

Hux felt his mouth hanging open a little. This was clearly some sort of mental break. Exactly what Nev had been concerned about. But he'd watched her so closely… she wasn't behaving any differently around him. How could he have missed this?

He managed to push a few words out: "Is she okay?"

Thrawn gave a short nod. "She is. She has been sleeping on the sofa in my personal quarters most of the morning."

"Good… that's good to hear. Would it be possible for me to see her?"

He gazed across the desk at Hux for a few moments. Hux had to give Thrawn so much: he wielded silence like a blade. It was terrifying. "Commander… Oni cannot stay with you."

Some piece of him had expected as much, but his stomach still turned at the thought. "Sir… with all due respect… Oni is an adult; we ought to let her make this decision…"

"You would be cruel enough to force her to make such a decision?"

Again, a heavy silence fell between them.

"Commander, I do not think you fully understand what you are asking of my daughter. You are asking her to choose between her mother and yourself. The pressure from the decision was too much – she already broke down once. Further, you know quite well that she is not safe among your people, as evidenced by your father's actions toward her. I am asking you to have some form of mercy on her. Let her return to Nivo with her mother."

Hux ground his teeth. This was worse than the conversation with Nev. A million times worse, because Thrawn had actual evidence to back his concerns. He didn't want to be away from her. She'd filled some gaping cavity in his chest, made him feel like a whole person. Losing her… letting her go… it was unfathomable.

Looking across the desk to Thrawn, he realized he didn't really have a choice. Thrawn wasn't giving him options. He was just polite enough to ask for Hux's consent before demanding compliance.

He gulped a nearly painful breath. In the end, Thrawn was right. She wouldn't be safe with him. But with the pending alliance between the Chiss and the Order, he would still be able to see her from time to time. And when she was recovered from all this – then there was a chance they could be together.

He nodded. "Yes. Yes… You are correct; she wouldn't be safe with me. I'll speak with her when we have some privacy and let her know she should return to Nivo with her mother."

Thrawn bowed his head. "Your understanding is admirable. Thank you."

Hux's chest ached. He ignored it.

Thrawn leaned back in his seat, his fingertips pressed together. "This brings me to our second matter to discuss. There will be no alliance between the Chiss and the First Order."

"What?" The word slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "No. What? You can't… You can't just go back and add that into the mix…"

"Commander…" His calm tone was supremely irritating.

"You _know_ they will not let me see her. The daughter of the leader of a military force we aren't allied with? There's no way in hell they'd permit me to be around her, it's a massive conflict of interest."

"Commander." Thrawn's tone kept the same even-keeled pitch. Somehow that was even more terrifying than if he sounded angry. "Did you actually think that I would suggest the Chiss ally with your people? Think about the situation. Your organization chooses to "recruit" by abducting children as old as five from war-torn areas. That could have been my own daughter."

Hux looked away. "Don't you think that would have been better for her than…"

"Do _not_ make such a suggestion. Neither situation is ideal and I will not be asked to choose one or the other for my daughter. Sloane is a smart woman – when she discovered my relation to Oni, I am certain she deduced that there would be no alliance. She's likely being kind, letting you have whatever little time you can have with her."

Hux couldn't look at him. He couldn't bear to think about it. This was unfair… all he wanted was to be able to see her. How was that too much to ask?

Thrawn seemed perfectly comfortable in the tense silences.

"I am, to say the very least, highly concerned with the path Sloane chose to take this organization. You are not ignorant of these things, I know." Thrawn gave him another long look. "Which brings us now, to our third topic of discussion. I would like to extend an offer to you – a position within the Chiss Defense fleet."

His head spun. "You… You're asking me to leave the Order? To leave all this… everything I've built… to betray Sloane…"

"Which is why the offer includes a rank elevated from your current rank within the Order, and a ship to command – roughly the size of an Imperial light cruiser. And, of course, the ability to still see Oni." He nodded, as if to conclude his offer. "You do not need to decide now, however you will want to make your decision soon."

"I can't do that. You _know_ I can't do that. I'd automatically become a massive target for the Order. I'd be more a liability to your own people…"

"I am well aware of that, and I will still extend you this offer. It is the best I can offer, and I owe you that much for saving my daughter's life. As I said, you have some time to consider your options."

"I don't need time." He tried his best to keep his tone under control. "I understand the situation very well. If I left… Sloane needs people who don't think like my father, people who are more progressive. I…" _I already made a promise to help her, because she helped me._ "I cannot betray the trust she put in me." He shook his head. "No. There must be another option."

Thrawn was silent for a moment. "If you see another option, please mention it. I have put several hours of thought into the situation. I see no other solutions."

He shook his head again. "I will not betray the Order. I will not leave what I've built. And I will not betray Sloane."

"So you have decided to reject my offer?"

He felt as though someone were jabbing an ice pick into his chest. This wasn't fair… Couldn't he have this one thing? One little thing that made him happy, that made him feel that everything would be right eventually. Something that helped him sleep at night.

But then… maybe this was right? She shouldn't be near the Order. She didn't deserve to suffer the constant ridicule from his father. Oni wasn't stupid. She would know her presence would affect his career adversely. She would feel guilt over that.

"Yes. Thank you, but I cannot take that offer."

Thrawn made no reaction whatsoever, other than looking at him with incredibly intense red eyes. "It is a foolish decision. But very well, I will respect it is the decision you made."

He could barely breathe. "I want to see her."

"Of course. One of my crew will take you to her." He paused. "Commander… I fear your organization is on a very dark path. Your decision to say is not a wise one."

"I appreciate your concern," Hux replied through gritted teeth, "but I will see to it that is not the case."

Thrawn gave the slightest sigh. "I owe you a very large favor for saving my daughter's life. A day will come that this path will put you in an impossible position to escape. When that day comes, find me. I will assist you however I am able."

Hux looked back at him for a few long moments. He wanted to reach across the desk and shake the man by the collar. How about you assist me now, so I don't have to abandon her?

The thought made him sick – he would not trade her for a favor, not even for a favor from the likes of Thrawn.

Oni looked very tired when he was finally taken to her. She smiled at him and it struck him – how had he not seen it before? It was empty. She was trying, but there was no joy inside to reinforce the smile.

He pulled her close and kissed her. "Oni…" He squeezed her a little, feeling like he was going to get sick. "We need to talk."

He told her as gently as he could - that she wasn't safe with him. That she was best to return to Nivo with her mother. She was upset, but ultimately agreed. And then he told her that he wouldn't be able to see her, for political reasons. She was upset. She cried. He felt like his heart was being crushed.

He didn't tell her about Thrawn's offer that he turned down, because she was already upset. The last thing he needed to do was confirm that he willingly rejected an option that would have allowed them to be together. Instead he told her that they would wait - when he was higher ranking, when he had a little more influence, or when the Chiss and the Order were able to come to some sort of alliance - they could find a way to be together then.

And he meant it. He would make it happen, somehow.


	22. Chapter 22

Hux was trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was having dinner with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Even more unexpected than that - it was a family dinner, so to speak. Oni was blissfully unaware of what a huge deal this was. He'd spoken with Sebbie about it earlier in the day; he'd barely been able to believe it either.

It took some time, but Oni came to terms with the idea that they would have to say goodbye soon. She was still upset about it, but the tears had stopped. Hux was still perturbed by the whole situation. He'd assumed he was uninvited from this dinner after the private conversation with Thrawn, but according to Oni (who he'd left unaware of the details of the conversation) he'd specifically mentioned Hux should be there earlier in the day.

Thrawn was the last to arrive, though Hux got the feeling it was a very deliberate move on Thrawn's behalf. Most likely, every move Thrawn made was very deliberate. He seated himself and had an attendant bring them wine, which Hux couldn't have been much less interested in but he sipped on anyway.

"Well, I suppose we should get this conversation started." Nev swirled the liquid in the glass before her. Hux found himself wondering if Oni had the same grey eyes when she was young, or if she had red eyes like her father and brother. He had an easier time picturing her with the red, probably because it was a simple color change from what she had now.

"Thrawn, you're only here a few more days?" Nev asked.

"That is correct."

"And your base is very far away?"

"It would take you significantly longer to return to Nivo. However you are, of course, always welcome on Csilla. It will take a little paperwork on my end though, so I would appreciate knowing in advance if you intend on coming along."

Nev gave a short nod, and looked at Baz, "While we appreciate the offer, I think that we need to return to Nivo. We can stay until it is your time to leave, Thrawn, but both Baz and I need to return to our lives at home."

Baz nodded in agreement. "Yes, this has been a fantastic show of courtesy, I do really appreciate it. But I have classes to return to, and the museum can't be left without mother and I for too long."

"That's very understandable, I expected as much." The attendants were starting to bring out food. Hux wondered if anyone had ever seen Thrawn eat before. It was so odd to imagine one of the most influential people in the galaxy chewing food. "I'll be sure to have a ship ready for your return the day I am set to leave."

"That's perfect, thank you." Nev nodded to Oni, "And you are returning with us?"

Oni cast him a small, sad look. "Yes."

He caught a sort of giddy grin rush across Nev's face, which quickly faded to a more tame smile, "I'm very happy to hear that." She raised a finger from her wineglass to Hux, "And you? Would you care to accompany my daughter back to her home?"

He was caught a little off guard. "I… honestly, I hadn't considered it. I wasn't aware the invitation was open. I would have to check with my superiors…"

"Of course the invitation is open to you. You've helped my daughter immensely; you are _always_ welcome in my home."

"Thank you. I will still need to get approval…"

"It has been approved." Thrawn looked his usually calm, collected self at the end of the table. "I spoke with Grand Admiral Sloane already. Take as much of your leave as you like, it is approved."

He blinked. He wasn't expecting Nev to openly invite him to her home, but he _really_ wasn't expecting Thrawn to pull strings to make sure he could see her off. "Oh. Thank you."

"It is the warmer season now, correct?" Oni grinned widely. She must have been surprised – and delighted – by the news as well.

"We're a few weeks into it," Baz smiled back at her. "Still a lot of snow, but the levels are low enough that you rarely have issues opening the front door."

Nev smirked a little, eyelashes downcast as she looked at her wine glass. "And what of you Thrawn?"

"Hm?"

"I thought you may want to see your daughter back to her home?"

The table grew awkwardly silent.

Thrawn blinked at her. "Of course I would, if the invitation stands."

She glanced up to him quickly, then back to her glass. "It does. She _is_ your daughter."

Thrawn blinked again. "Yes. I appreciate your hospitality. I would be happy to see her home."

"Good. It's settled then. The whole clan is going back to Nivo." Nev paused. "I suppose we will have to open up your cabin, Thrawn. It hasn't been used in ages."

"It's not my cabin. It is yours, I gifted it to you."

Nev swirled her glass, looking at him with her chin resting on her hand, "I suppose I never thought of it like that."

The expression on Nev's face was all too familiar – he'd seen it many, many times from Oni. It was this odd mix of sweet and endearing and defiant. He got the impression, as he did from Oni, that she was deliberately trying to push him while looking entirely innocent of the situation.

He couldn't imagine trying to push Thrawn. It must be like trying to shove a mountain.

True to form, Thrawn just blinked at her and looked away. "Oni, you don't mind, do you?"

She smiled back at him, "Don't be ridiculous, of course I want you to come along. Please. You can't even begin to imagine how excited I am. This is…" She blinked quickly and looked at the plate in front of her. "This is more than I could have hoped for."

"I think," Baz said, looking at her with a small grin, "Everyone at home is going to be very surprised to see you." 

* * *

Nev and Thrawn took to speaking quietly to each other over the corner of the table. Baz talked with Oni and Hux, but kept an eye on them. His mother was behaving very strangely, almost like she was nervous. Things had definitely softened between she and Thrawn.

"I saw you reading your book the other night. Are you enjoying it?" Oni drew him back to the conversation.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. It's good."

"It's sort of interesting, isn't it?"

"Oh? You read it?"

"No… well, yes, sort of in a way. Kind of skimmed through it. It's very… dark… brooding… very complex…" She smirked at him deviously.

Hux looked confused. "Clearly you didn't read it well. It's about Imperial politics… the tone is dry, at best. I certainly wouldn't call it _brooding_."

Oni ignored him and looked at Baz, a huge, toothy grin on her face.

His mouth nearly dropped open. Dark. Brooding. She must have seen him go into Ren's ship, before she lost it on the poor young Chiss girl. "I… uh…"

"You like it?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Uh… yeah. Yeah it's good." He wanted to laugh – she looked so incredibly devious about the matter, and Hux looked completely confused. He shook his head. "Really good."

"That is good. I am happy to hear that. I am of the opinion that you should only read good books. Read _lots_ of them, and enjoy them thoroughly." She paused. "Until you find one you really enjoy more than anything else. Then just keep rereading that one."

"What are you talking about?" Hux frowned a little. "This isn't about books, is it?" 

* * *

Baz spent the next day walking the hallways of Thrawn's ship. It was his last full day here. He wanted to spend some time just walking... taking all this in while he could. Maybe he'd find a way to do this again. Nivitians didn't really travel, there were very, very few ships on the planet, but maybe he could find a way to pull some strings and get someone to pilot him off Nivo for a trip. Not that he knew where he'd go. But he could figure that out.

Or maybe he could talk to Thrawn about it. He didn't want to take advantage of who his father just so happened to be, but this... this seemed like an okay way to bend his morality.

Suddenly, an arm reached out from a doorway he was passing and grabbed his collar, jerking him inside violently. He stumbled, preparing for the worst when he was shoved up against a wall.

That was, until Ren forced his lips onto Baz's, nipping and biting and pushing him just a little too hard.

"Ren?" He managed to squeeze a word out despite Ren's lips blocking the way. "Um..."

He snarled a little and pressed his hips into Baz's.

"Ahhh... okay..." He tried - and failed - to stifle a little gasp. Ren bit at his neck. "Ren... Whu... What do you want?"

He could feel Ren's mouth turn to a grin on his neck. He huffed a laugh, then turned back to his lips, kissing him again, gazing at him with those deep, intense eyes. "Come see me tonight."

It wasn't a question, or a suggestion.

"Er..."

He kissed him again and pressed his palm into Baz's crotch, smirking. "My quarters are in the easternmost building. My room is the last one on the right, at the end of the main hallway." He bit Baz's lower lip. "You'll come see me there, tonight."

With that, he released Baz and left.

"Um..." Baz shook his head, trying to gather his scrambled thoughts. Again? Tonight? In his personal quarters? This Ren was a very strange person... 

* * *

It was late, and Baz stood in the empty hallway, staring at the door. Should he knock? Was that the appropriate thing to do in this sort of event? Baz was thrown off enough by Ren kidnapping him into the storage room for a dysfunctional mid-day make out session, but the request to meet Ren in his personal quarters had left him stumbling over words.

The door slid open. Ren leaned in the doorway, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you really so timid you can't knock?"

"No. I just got here. I was about to knock." He felt like it came out a little more defensively than he intended.

Ren smirked and pulled him into the room, pinning him against the wall in his usual move. Straight to the point… as always.

Baz was concerned. He almost didn't come to Ren's quarters. Something about this felt dangerous. Thrawn warned him Ren couldn't be trusted. And now Ren was requesting a third round… something just felt off.

Ren was a flurry, as usual, tackling Baz into his bed and nearly ripping his clothes as he tried to get them off, and then not really bothering to take his own off. It was like he got distracted or something.

He was strong and deliberate with Baz, like once he knew what his mission was nothing would distract him. And he had the stamina of an iron wall - the third time he came, he collapsed onto Baz, pinning him onto the bed, his lips kneading softly into Baz's neck.

Baz was a little dazed as well, laying with him a few moments before pushing himself upright and starting to gather his clothing from the floor. Ren hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him back, grunting. It was almost affectionate; something so odd and foreign he actually laughed.

"What?"

"Ah… nothing. I just. This is odd for me."

"Hm? What is?"

"This… this whole…" He waved, "Can't you read my mind? Don't you already know all of this?"

"Mm… I can, but you're hard to read without causing you pain. When I start pulling your mind puts up barriers so quickly."

"Oh. Well... I mean... a third time?"

Ren smirked a little. "Was it too much for you?"

"No…" he laughed at the misunderstanding, and at Ren's cocky response. Of course that was where his mind went. "No, I mean… asking me back here for a third... round." He didn't know what else to call it.

Ren frowned. "Well… you are a good lay."

He couldn't figure out if that was something he should say thank you to, but he did take it as a compliment. "I'm convinced you may have some ulterior motive." He just said it, because he was sick of dancing around the subject. And because his mind kept going to the subject, despite the way Ren clung to him, refusing to let him out of the bed. It was frustrating and confusing.

Ren frowned a little, looking up at him from the bed, "What would my motive be?"

"I don't know. That's what I've been trying to figure out. It doesn't make any sense."

"Like... I'm using you to get to your father or something?"

" _Don't_ … Don't call him that. But yeah. I don't know. Maybe something like that. I don't know why you'd keep calling me back."

Ren was looking up at him with dark, narrow eyes, as though he didn't understand. "Trust me, I only had one motive here. Sex."

"Right but aren't you… done? Bored?"

Ren looked terribly confused. "Do you think I would have brought you into my personal quarters if I were bored with you?"

Baz was incredibly frustrated with Ren's complete lack of understanding. Or maybe he was just playing like he didn't understand. Either way, it was infuriating. He stood, pulling himself away from Ren and buttoning his pants. "Look, I'm… I'm a sort of one-and-done deal. I know that. I'm like… something people are really curious about and want to try out, but once they do they get bored."

Ren squinted hard at him. If Baz could find his shirt he'd already be out the door – this was embarrassing.

"Like a… fetish item? What sort of fetish is that? Do they really like the color blue or something?"

He paused his search for his shirt at Ren's half puzzled, half amused expression. He found himself terribly funny.

Baz couldn't help but laugh.

Ren barely slid out of the bed and wrapped his arm around Baz's waist, pulling him back onto the bed. "If that is really the case, I don't quite have you out of my system yet."

He was perpetually impressed by Ren's ability to spout such flattering things so quickly. Ren hooked a leg around him, pinning him to the bed.

"You're very, very odd, Ren." Ren was already digging his face into Baz's neck, nipping at his skin. "You act like I'm…" _Normal_. Stopped himself before he said it.

"Mmmph." He felt Ren's lips move against his skin before he pulled back. "Nivo must be a _very_ small planet."

"It is."

"And you're like some… blue dot in a sea of humans?"

He laughed at Ren's crass way of wording himself. "Ah… yes. Basically."

Ren nodded, looking at him quietly with those amazingly dark eyes again. He jabbed a finger into Baz's chest, "I'm way more unusual than you."

Of course Ren would find a way to one-up him. Though it was odd to him that Ren _wanted_ to be something even more unusual than Baz. He tilted his head. "How many people can use the force?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Nobody really knows. We used to be more common, so I've heard. I've only met a handful of others in my life."

"What would you say? One in a hundred million?"

"Less than that, I would think."

"One in a billion?"

"That might be getting closer. There's several trillion Chiss hanging out in some obscure corner of the galaxy, from what I've heard."

Baz looked up at the ceiling of Ren's quarters. "You're wrong."

"Huh? What? No I'm not." Ren sounded a little defensive.

"But I'm not really Chiss, am I? As far as we know, there's only two of what I am. Me and my sister." _Three_ , he corrected himself. Vanto had a half-Chiss little girl.

Ren looked at him quietly again. "I don't believe that." He frowned, poking Baz in the chest again, "You are proof that humans and Chiss can reproduce. And you're telling me that you really think, with a rough population in the trillions, that a few other ones haven't gotten with a few humans? I don't believe that for a second."

Baz thought about it. Ren was probably right. He didn't know there were so many Chiss out there.

"I grew up in a place that was basically the exact opposite of where you live. I'm used to seeing a wide variety of non-humans from around the galaxy."

"Oh? Where are you from?"

"Nowhere worth talking about." Ren ended the subject by digging his mouth into Baz's shoulder and biting a little. It was obvious he was avoiding the subject, which made Baz even more curious, but he decided to drop it. He was enjoying the weight of Ren's arm trapped around him, and didn't want to make him move.

"So… am I not… weird to you?"

He could feel Ren frown against his shoulder. "I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. I mean… yeah, I've seen quite a few Chiss before. So, no, you're really not. Am I weird to you?"

"That's different. I grew up with all humans. The only thing I find a little odd is your eyes. Everyone on Nivo has grey eyes, like my mother."

"Oh. Well, I guess if we're going to get down to little things like that, the red eyes are a little odd to deal with. I can never quite tell if you're looking at me."

"I've been told that before, but I never realized how unnerving it is to speak with someone who doesn't have pupils until I met Oni and Thrawn."

"Mm. I wouldn't say unnerving. Maybe just frustrating."

"You could just assume I'm always looking at you."

Ren was quiet for a moment, frowning at him. "I'm the one with the lines, okay?"

Baz laughed. He hadn't realized that the statement might be interpreted as flattering – he just said it because he meant it. There was something about the way Ren moved, in powerful, reassured motions, that was kind of beautiful to him.

He pushed upright, "I need to go, Ren."

"No."

"Ah… yes? But… thank you. Really."

Ren let him loose with one last bite - a gentle one - and watched him dress. He pulled his shirt over his head. Ren still watched him, a deep frown etched into his face.

"What's wrong?"

Ren shook his head. "Nothing. Come back tomorrow."

Baz's stomach flipped a little at the question. It was so sincere sounding, not like Ren's usual demands. "Are you…"

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure. Stop asking already. Any time I ask, I am completely, fully sure I want you."

Baz blinked at him. He meant it. "I… I'm sorry. I can't. I leave tomorrow morning."

Ren sat up on the bed. "You didn't mention that. Back to your home?"

"Yeah."

His mouth twisted downward and he rubbed his fingers over his lips. "I guess this is it then."

"Er... yeah. I guess it is." He didn't know what to say. "Thank you. I guess. This was... different."

He quirked a crooked smile. "Different? You make it sound bad."

"No, no. This was fun. I appreciate it. I sort of wish..." He trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say. "I sort of wish we had a little more time."

He leaned back on the bed with an air of confidence Baz wished he could have. "Yeah. Me too."

Baz pulled his boots on and looked at Ren, ready to leave. "Can I…"

"Yes. Stop asking for permission."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I don't really care what you wanted to ask for. You can do it, whatever it is."

He appreciated the notion, even if he was somewhat certain Ren didn't actually mean it. So he made it quick, brushing his lips against Ren's. "Goodbye?"

Ren didn't respond, he just nodded.

He noticed Ren, half dressed, hanging around the doorway as he left.


	23. Chapter 23

Hux had never seen something so beautiful it made him hurt, but when she stood in the snow on Nivo, looking back at him with a wide smile and big, fluffy snowflakes caught in her eyelashes, it felt as though someone was ripping his chest open. He could only stay for two days. Not due to work requirements, though that's what he told Oni. He'd actually elected to only stay two days. Any longer than that and he feared it would be too difficult to leave her.

A terrifying, painful realization came to him: she was happy. Really, truly happy. She couldn't stop smiling. She wasn't happy before. He'd been blind to it, but she was suffering the entire time. How had he not noticed? It seemed so obvious now...

Maybe he just hadn't wanted to notice.

They were right. Both Thrawn and Nev. This was the best option. Not just because she was safe, but because she was happy.

He drew her close, taking her face between his hands and kissing her. "You're going to be okay here."

Her expression turned sad. "Hux..."

He stroked her cheekbone, kissing her again. "This isn't me saying goodbye forever. I told you, when the time is right I'll find a way to make it happen. Until then..." he shook his head, "... you're going to be happy here. And that makes me happy." 

* * *

Baz, Oni, and Hux exited her studio to go to the museum, leaving she and Thrawn.

She hadn't been able to look at him in what felt like days. She inhaled deeply and tried to shake it off, whatever it was. "I need to go open up the cabin." She paused. "Will… will you come with me?"

He bowed his head, "Yes, absolutely."

They walked through the streets together, to the market to pick up some supplies before heading to the cabin. Thrawn was getting all sorts of odd looks, just like he used to when they were young.

"You told Hux he had to let her come with us, didn't you?"

"No. I did not."

She watched him with a raised eyebrow. "Thrawn. I know you."

"I merely presented the situation to him in a more logical manner. He cares for Oni, he wants what is best for her. It became clear to him that going with you was her best option."

She knew what that meant. He had this way of giving people the appearance of options without actually giving them any options. She sniffed, looking away from him. "Thank you."

After they'd picked up the supplies they needed, they headed out of town for the cabin. It took nearly thirty minutes to reach their destination. It felt too short.

The most infuriating thing to Nev was the fact that she was _still_ not quite comfortable around Thrawn. She knew exactly what it was, too. It was this gnawing bit of guilt – that he had, after all these years, found their daughter. But it was more than that, it was that she had deliberately cut him out of their lives, and blamed them for the loss of their daughter, when Oni wasn't really gone.

The loss had worn on him. She could see it now – he'd blamed himself just as much as she had blamed him. It was easy for her to be upset with him when she didn't have to look at him. But seeing the guilt on his face – for some odd reason it broke her heart.

He was kind and carried most of the supplies in for her while she put them away.

The cabin was in a prime location - after all these years, she still wasn't able to figure out how Thrawn had managed to acquire it. A massive, beautiful window in the living area gave an almost overwhelming view of a frozen lake and snow-covered mountains in the background.

 _This_ was why she'd never come back. Because when she looked into the room with the sunlight streaming in from off the mountains and the warm wooden floors, all she could see was a memory of Thrawn, sitting in one of the chairs, and their daughter on the floor, looking up at him with wide, fascinated eyes as he told her about the places he'd visited throughout the galaxy.

"Nev? Are you okay?"

His voice had aged. But so had hers.

She sniffed and shook her head. "Yes. Yes. I just… no. I'm not really."

He looked at her quietly for a moment. "I understand why you did not want to return to this home. If this is too difficult for you…"

"I'm sorry."

He blinked.

So did she, trying to keep the tears from her eyes. "I think… I think I made a terrible mistake. For Oni, and for Baz, and for you. And myself."

"There is no need for you to apologize; I see none of your actions as unreasonable, given the circumstances."

She sighed and made her way into the living area, taking a seat on the sofa. He'd fallen asleep on it once, and Oni had crawled up with him and fell asleep, lying on his chest. She'd taken a photo of the scene; it was probably buried somewhere in the attic of the cabin, hidden away because looking at it might have killed her. She motioned to the chair next to her and he sat.

Maybe it was time for both of them to speak plainly, here in the graveyard of memories.

She inhaled deeply. "I named him Baz four days after he was born, because I realized he had a voice like yours, with that soft hum, and I thought it would sound beautiful when he introduced himself. To be honest, I was caught completely off guard when he was born looking so… so very much like you. I thought he would turn out like his sister. I was quite determined that I was fine, that he would be fine, that I could take care of everything and that this would be no different than normal.

"He was quick, like his sister. He spoke his first word at 6 months. It was _uma_. I was quite pleased with that. He took his first steps around 9 months, which terrified me a little - that was a few months earlier than Oni. He started drawing when he was two. He's actually quite talented, though you'd never know because he doesn't do it enough. He was about… five, I'd say, when he first realized he was… _different_ from everyone on Nivo." She tried to control it, but she felt a few tears slip loose. "I did my best to handle it. He had so many questions about it and I couldn't answer all of them. Enos helped when he was here, but of course he couldn't be here all the time. It was also around that time that he also realized most of his peers had fathers but he did not. Five was when all the questions started. Why was he different? Was it just his skin and his hair and his eyes or was he different in other ways as well? Was he sick? Were there others that looked like him? Who was his father? Why didn't he have a father?"

She shook her head again and wiped the few tears away quickly. "Um… he was 10 when he became interested in ice climbing. I think that is to him what painting is to me. He's quite fond of it; he goes with a friend of his pretty often. They stay here when they go, because it's so close to the mountains. He thinks I don't know that." She ran a finger over her lips. This wasn't getting any easier. "It was around that age as well that the fights started. Maybe that was part of what sparked his interest in climbing, some sort of need to get away from the awful people around him. Your son, you may be disappointed to find out, is very deeply a pacifist. He was always a little taller, a little more athletic, than his peers. He could have beat the snot out of them. Still, I had to beg him to defend himself. He'd come home with bloody noses and bruised eyes at least every other week. Sometimes I wondered if his teachers even cared. Your son has taught me a great deal – among those things is that my own people can be completely heartless."

It was one of those rare moments that Thrawn's expression was completely readable – concern. And sadness. "To be fair, Nev, you would find those traits among all peoples. My people do it. The Imperials did it. Some people are just… needlessly cruel. And clearly Baz has not let it destroy him; he seems to be a very well adjusted young man."

"I think… I think there is more to our son's story than I know. He only tells me so much, I think in an attempt to keep me safe. But I suspect that our son was hurt very terribly, and that he continues to hide it from me. I want to help him, but I don't know that I am enough. I don't know that I ever was."

"Nev… you should be proud of how you raised him. He is a good man."

She sniffed again, wishing she had a tissue. "I lied to you. I told you that we didn't need you. The truth was that your son needed you so, so terribly and I deprived him of that."

He looked at her quietly. "Please trust me when I say you should not think in such a manner."

"Don't try to tell me you've forgiven me for cutting you out of our lives. I won't believe that for a second."

"I understand why you reacted the way you did. Given your situation, I don't know that I would have done anything different. Forgiveness… that is another matter for another time. I'm certain you can understand that – you would not be able to convince me you have forgiven me. What I am attempting to tell you is that there is no use in dwelling upon these matters."

It was a nice speech and all, but she felt like she was teetering on the edge of a meltdown. Here he was, being kind and wise and reasonable, exactly like he'd always been, exactly the balance Baz needed growing up…

He took her face between his hands and started wiping at her tears, almost desperately. He used to do this. Tears made him uncomfortable; it was like he was trying to wipe away any sadness. She'd spent years wondering if Chiss could cry. Both their children could, but then maybe that was a human trait they had inherited from her.

"Nev… you must stop thinking like this. It will become like a black hole in your heart. Oni is alive. Not just alive, she is home. With you and her brother."

"Thrawn, it's like you keep forgetting…"

"Hm?"

"You're here too. Despite what you insist, this is your home too. If it were just my home it would not have been so difficult for me to return. And they are not my children, they're _ours_."

* * *

***xoxo Thank you to anyone who read! I'm sorry for the extremely long wait for the final chapter. I publish on Ao3 as well, and only have time to keep one platform updated. If you want to read future stories in this series, check out my Ao3 profile under the same username.***


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